Shloka 38
कालनिर्णयः, युगधर्मवर्णनम्, सृष्टिक्रमश्च
Time-Reckoning, Yuga-Dharma, and the Sequence of Creation
मैं देखता हूँ, इस समय तुम देवराजके पदपर प्रतिष्ठित हो। अपने कान्तिमान् और तेजस्वी स्वरूपसे विराज रहे हो और मेरे ऊपर बारंबार गर्जना करते हो ।।
evaṃ naiva na cet kālo mām ākramya sthito bhavet | pātayeyam ahaṃ tvādya sarvajñam api muṣṭinā ||
En vérité, si le Temps (Kāla) ne se tenait pas sur moi, m’écrasant de sa pression, aujourd’hui je te renverserais d’un seul coup de poing, quand bien même tu serais omniscient. Mais à présent je te vois établi dans la dignité du seigneur des dieux, brillant d’une forme éclatante et redoutable, grondant sans cesse au-dessus de moi.
श॒क्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the mightiest are restrained by Kāla (Time/Fate). Personal power and anger cannot override the cosmic order; recognizing the limits imposed by Time is an ethical check on pride and violence.
Śakra (Indra) addresses an opponent who appears established in the rank of the lord of the gods, radiant and roaring. Indra declares that, were it not for Kāla overpowering him, he would strike the other down with a single fist—even though that being is described as all-knowing.