Shloka 52
त्रिवर्गमूलनिश्चयः — Determining the Roots of Dharma, Artha, and Kāma
Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 123
जागर्ति काल: पूर्व च मध्ये चान्ते च भारत । ईश्वर: सर्वलोकस्य महादेव: प्रजापति:
jāgarti kālaḥ pūrvaṃ ca madhye cānte ca bhārata | īśvaraḥ sarvalokasya mahādevaḥ prajāpatiḥ ||
Dijo Vasuharoma: «¡Oh Bhārata! El Tiempo permanece siempre despierto: al comienzo, en medio y al final. Ese Tiempo, como poder que castiga y gobierna, es la forma misma de Mahādeva, Señor de todos los mundos, el Prajāpati que sostiene y ordena a todos los seres».
वसुहरोम उवाच
Educational Q&A
Time (Kāla) is an ever-vigilant cosmic power present at creation, continuance, and dissolution; recognizing it as the form of Mahādeva/Prajāpati frames ethical life within an unbreakable moral-cosmic order where all beings are subject to change and accountability.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and ultimate principles, Vasuharoma addresses the Bhārata listener and identifies Kāla as the sovereign force governing all worlds, equating it with Mahādeva and Prajāpati to emphasize divine oversight across all phases of existence.