Shloka 41
कुरुते पजचरूपाणि कालयुक्तानि य: सदा । भवत्यग्निस्तथा55दित्यो मृत्युर्वैश्रवणो यम:,राजा ही सदा समयानुसार पाँच रूप धारण करता है। वह कभी अग्नि, कभी सूर्य, कभी मृत्यु, कभी कुबेर और कभी यमराज बन जाता है
kurute pañcarūpāṇi kālayuktāni yaḥ sadā | bhavaty agnis tathādityo mṛtyur vaiśravaṇo yamaḥ ||
He who is ever aligned with Time assumes five forms according to the occasion. At one moment he becomes Fire, at another the Sun; at another he becomes Death; at another he becomes Vaiśravaṇa (Kubera); and at another he becomes Yama. The teaching is that a king, to uphold order, must adapt his function to the needs of the time—nourishing, illuminating, restraining, punishing, and safeguarding prosperity—without departing from dharma.
वसुमना उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must act in a time-appropriate way (kālayukta), taking on different functional roles—like fire (discipline), sun (guidance), death (decisive enforcement), Kubera (prosperity), and Yama (justice)—so that dharma and social order are maintained.
In the Śānti Parva’s discussion of rājadharma, Vasuman describes the king’s adaptive responsibilities by comparing him to major cosmic powers, emphasizing that effective and righteous rule requires shifting modes according to circumstance.