Shloka 51
कालनिर्णयः, युगधर्मवर्णनम्, सृष्टिक्रमश्च
Time-Reckoning, Yuga-Dharma, and the Sequence of Creation
गतिं हि सर्वभूतानामगत्वा कक््व गमिष्यति । यो धावता न हातव्यस्तिष्न्नपि न हीयते
gatiṁ hi sarvabhūtānām agatvā kva gamiṣyati | yo dhāvatā na hātavyas tiṣṭhann api na hīyate ||
Śakra said: “Indeed, without reaching the destined course of all beings, where could one go? He who is not to be slain even by one who rushes upon him does not diminish even when he stands still.”
श॒क्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
That beings cannot escape their appointed destiny (gati), and that true security or strength is not merely a matter of frantic action: one who is not ‘killable’ by destiny does not lose even by remaining steady. The verse commends steadiness and acceptance of the larger moral order governing outcomes.
Indra (Śakra) is speaking in a didactic context within Śānti Parva, offering a reflective maxim: outcomes are governed by the destined course of beings, so panic-driven action is not always decisive; steadfastness aligned with dharma can be equally (or more) effective.