Shloka 49
Dasyu-maryādā and Buddhi-guided Rāja-nīti (दस्युमर्यादा तथा बुद्धिप्रधान-राजनीति)
ब्रह्मदत्त तवाच कालेन क्रियते कार्य तथैव विविधा: क्रिया: । कालेनैते प्रवर्तन्ते कः कस्येहापराध्यति
brahmadatta uvāca | kālena kriyate kāryaṃ tathaiva vividhāḥ kriyāḥ | kālenaite pravartante kaḥ kasyehāparādhyati ||
Brahmadatta dit : « Par le Temps s’accomplit ce qui doit être accompli ; et par le Temps aussi naissent les multiples sortes d’actions. C’est le Temps qui met tout cela en branle—dès lors, en ce monde, qui peut dire en vérité qui a fait tort à qui ? »
ब्रह्मदत्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the overpowering role of Kāla (Time) in bringing actions and outcomes to fruition, thereby questioning simplistic blame: if events unfold under the compulsion of Time, moral judgment should be tempered with insight into causality, inevitability, and the limits of individual control.
Brahmadatta is speaking in a reflective, didactic mode, interpreting human actions and conflicts through the lens of Kāla. He argues that diverse actions and their consequences are propelled by Time, leading to the rhetorical question of who can be singled out as the offender in worldly disputes.