Shloka 20
Adhyāya 33 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Post-Conflict Remorse and Inquiry on Āśrama Discipline (शोक-विमर्शः, आश्रम-जिज्ञासा)
तेषामपि महाबाहो कर्माणि परिचिन्तय । विनाशहेतुकानि त्वं यैस्ते कालवशं गता:
teṣām api mahābāho karmāṇi paricintaya | vināśa-hetukāni tvaṃ yais te kāla-vaśaṃ gatāḥ ||
Vyāsa said: “O mighty-armed one, reflect also upon the deeds of those men—those very actions by which they became instruments of destruction and, overpowered by Time, were carried away to their end.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should scrutinize the specific actions that lead to downfall, recognizing that ruin is not random: destructive choices become the causes, and then Time (kāla) completes the consequence. Ethical reflection on causality in action is urged.
Vyāsa addresses a heroic listener and instructs him to contemplate the deeds of certain people who have perished—highlighting that their end came through ruin-causing actions and the overpowering force of Time.