Shloka 12
आत्मदर्शन-उपदेशः (Ātma-darśana Upadeśa) — Mind, Senses, and the All-pervading Self
काष्ठा निमेषा दश पञ्च चैव त्रिंशत्तु काष्ठा गणयेत् कलां ताम् | त्रिंशत्कलक्षापि भवेन्मुहूर्तो भाग: कलाया दशमश्न यः स्यात्,(अब कालका विभाग इस प्रकार समझना चाहिये) पंद्रह निमेषकी एक काष्ठा और तीस काष्ठाकी एक कला गिननी चाहिये। तीस कलाका एक मुहूर्त होता है। उसके साथ कलाका दसवाँ भाग और सम्मिलित होता है अर्थात् तीस कला और तीन काष्ठाका एक मुहूर्त होता है
kāṣṭhā nimeṣā daśa pañca caiva triṁśattu kāṣṭhā gaṇayet kalāṁ tām | triṁśatkalā kṣāpi bhaven muhūrto bhāgaḥ kalāyā daśamaśna yaḥ syāt |
Vyāsa explains the traditional reckoning of time: fifteen nimeṣas make one kāṣṭhā, and thirty kāṣṭhās are counted as one kalā. Thirty kalās constitute a muhūrta; and in addition, a tenth part of a kalā is included—so a muhūrta is understood as thirty kalās plus three kāṣṭhās. This teaching places human action within an ordered cosmic measure, urging clarity and precision when speaking of dharma, ritual timing, and disciplined conduct.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a precise traditional hierarchy of time-units—nimeṣa, kāṣṭhā, kalā, and muhūrta—emphasizing disciplined, accurate reckoning that supports orderly conduct and correct timing in dharmic life.
In the instructional setting of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa is explaining a technical but ethically relevant topic: how time is conventionally measured, providing definitions and conversions among the units.