Shloka 25
कालनिर्णयः, युगधर्मवर्णनम्, सृष्टिक्रमश्च
Time-Reckoning, Yuga-Dharma, and the Sequence of Creation
काल: सर्व समादत्ते काल: सर्व प्रयच्छति । कालेन विहितं सर्व मा कृथा: शक्र पौरुषम्,इन्द्र! काल ही सबको ग्रहण करता है, काल ही सब कुछ देता है तथा कालने ही सब कुछ किया है; अत: अपने पुरुषार्थका गर्व न करो
kālaḥ sarvaṃ samādatte kālaḥ sarvaṃ prayacchati | kālena vihitaṃ sarvaṃ mā kṛthāḥ śakra pauruṣam, indra ||
Śakra said: “Time takes everything away; Time also bestows everything. All that happens is ordained by Time. Therefore, O Śakra—O Indra—do not take pride in your own prowess.”
श॒क्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches humility regarding personal achievement: Time (kāla) both removes and grants all outcomes, so one should not become arrogant about one’s own prowess or agency.
In the Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse, Śakra/Indra voices a philosophical admonition: events and results unfold under the governance of Time, and thus even the powerful should restrain pride in their own strength.