Shloka 11
जनकस्य मोक्षमार्गप्रश्नः तथा पञ्चशिखोपदेश-प्रस्तावः | Janaka’s Path to Liberation: Prelude to Pañcaśikha’s Instruction
नाभ्येति कारणं कार्य न कार्य कारणं तथा । कार्याणां तूपकरणे कालो भवति हेतुमान्,न तो कारण कार्यमें प्रवेश करता है और न कार्य कारणमें। कार्य करते समय काल ही उनकी सिद्धि और असिद्धिमें हेतु होता है
nābhyeti kāraṇaṁ kāryaṁ na kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ tathā | kāryāṇāṁ tūpakaraṇe kālo bhavati hetumān, na tu kāraṇaṁ kāryam |
Bhīṣma said: “A cause does not enter into its effect, nor does an effect enter into its cause. In the actual execution of actions, it is Time (Kāla) that becomes the determining factor for their success or failure—not the cause merging into the effect.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse distinguishes cause and effect as conceptually separate and emphasizes that, in practical outcomes, Time (kāla) functions as the decisive factor behind success or failure. It cautions against assuming a simple, direct ‘cause merges into effect’ model and highlights temporal conditions as crucial.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right understanding. Here he offers a philosophical clarification about causality and the role of Time in the fruition of actions, as part of broader ethical and metaphysical counsel after the war.