Shloka 17
Kapila’s Analysis of Materialistic Life, Death, and the Path to Hell
Kāla, Karma, and Yamadūtas
शयान: परिशोचद्भि: परिवीत: स्वबन्धुभि: । वाच्यमानोऽपि न ब्रूते कालपाशवशं गत: ॥ १७ ॥
śayānaḥ pariśocadbhiḥ parivītaḥ sva-bandhubhiḥ vācyamāno ’pi na brūte kāla-pāśa-vaśaṁ gataḥ
Ainsi tombe-t-il sous l’emprise de la mort et demeure étendu, entouré d’amis et de proches en pleurs. Même interpellé, il ne peut répondre, car il est passé sous le lasso du Temps.
For formality’s sake, when a man is lying on his deathbed, his relatives come to him, and sometimes they cry very loudly, addressing the dying man: “Oh, my father!” “Oh, my friend!” or “Oh, my husband!” In that pitiable condition the dying man wants to speak with them and instruct them of his desires, but because he is fully under the control of the time factor, death, he cannot express himself, and that causes him inconceivable pain. He is already in a painful condition because of disease, and his glands and throat are choked up with mucus. He is already in a very difficult position, and when he is addressed by his relatives in that way, his grief increases.
FAQs
This verse explains that at the moment of death a person becomes overpowered by Kāla (Time) and cannot respond even to loved ones, showing Time’s irresistible control over embodied life.
Kapila highlights the helplessness of the dying and the futility of mere worldly attachment, urging Devahūti toward spiritual insight and liberation beyond bodily identification.
Remember life’s impermanence, reduce obsessive attachment, and invest daily in bhakti and self-realization so that consciousness is prepared when Time inevitably brings the final moment.