Shloka 22
Adhyāya 33 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Post-Conflict Remorse and Inquiry on Āśrama Discipline (शोक-विमर्शः, आश्रम-जिज्ञासा)
त्वष्टेव विहित॑ यन्त्र यथा चेष्टयितुर्वशे । कर्मणा कालयुक्तेन तथेदं चेष्टते जगत्
tvaṣṭeva vihitaṃ yantraṃ yathā ceṣṭayitur vaśe | karmaṇā kālayuktena tathedaṃ ceṣṭate jagat ||
Vyāsa said: Just as a machine fashioned by Tvaṣṭṛ moves according to the will of the one who operates it, so too this world acts—driven by karma and yoked to kāla, Time. The image teaches that beings and events unfold under the joint governance of karma and Time, tempering pride in personal agency and urging discernment, restraint, and responsibility within the bounds of cosmic order.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that worldly activity is governed by the combined forces of karma (causal action) and kāla (time). Like a crafted machine that moves under an operator’s control, the world’s motions are not merely personal whim; this encourages humility about individual control while still recognizing ethical responsibility for one’s actions.
In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Vyāsa offers a philosophical analogy to explain how events unfold. He compares the world’s functioning to a mechanism made by Tvaṣṭṛ, emphasizing that beings act within a larger framework shaped by karma and time.