Shloka 14
राजधर्मः—राष्ट्ररक्षणं, दण्डनीतिः, हयग्रीवोपाख्यानम्
Royal Duty: Protection, Penal Policy, and the Hayagrīva Exemplum
सवनिवैष पर्यायो मर्त्यान् स्पृशति दुःसह: । कालेन परिपक्तवा हि प्रियन्ते सर्वपार्थिवा:,(राजा सेनजितने मन-ही-मन कहा कि) “यह दुःसह कालचक्र सभी मनुष्योंपर अपना प्रभाव डालता है। एक दिन सभी भूपाल कालसे परिपक्व होकर मृत्युके अधीन हो जाते हैं
sa vanivaiṣa paryāyo martyān spṛśati duḥsahaḥ | kālena paripaktvā hi priyante sarvapārthivāḥ ||
Vyāsa said: “This unbearable cycle of change and decline touches all mortals. In time, ripened by Kāla (Time), all kings—however dear and mighty—are carried away to death.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Time is irresistible and makes all beings—especially rulers who seem powerful—subject to decline and death. Therefore one should not cling to sovereignty or pride, but live by dharma with humility and detachment.
Vyāsa states a reflective maxim: the harsh cycle governed by Time touches all mortals, and in due course every king is ‘ripened’ by Time and passes under death’s control—framing the Shanti Parva’s counsel on right conduct and the limits of worldly power.