Shloka 16
Vidurā–Putra Saṃvāda: Utsāha, Kīrti, and Kṣātra Resolve
Udyoga-parva 131
कालो वा कारणं राज्ञो राजा वा कालकारणम् | इति ते संशयो मा भूद् राजा कालस्य कारणम्,राजाका कारण काल है या कालका कारण राजा है, ऐसा संदेह तुम्हारे मनमें नहीं उठना चाहिये; क्योंकि राजा ही कालका कारण होता है
kālo vā kāraṇaṁ rājño rājā vā kālakāraṇam | iti te saṁśayo mā bhūd rājā kālasya kāraṇam ||
“Is Time the cause of a king’s actions, or is the king the cause that makes Time effective?” Let no such doubt arise in your mind. For it is the king who is the cause of Time.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse argues for moral and political agency: instead of attributing outcomes to impersonal ‘Time,’ one should recognize the king’s responsibility. Through policy, punishment, protection, and justice, the ruler becomes the effective cause that makes events ripen—so accountability lies with governance, not with fate alone.
Vāyudeva addresses a listener’s uncertainty about whether events are driven by Kāla (Time/fate) or by the ruler’s choices. He resolves the dilemma by asserting that the king is the operative cause behind what is experienced as ‘Time’s’ effects, emphasizing the ethical weight of royal decision-making in the unfolding crisis of the Udyoga Parva.