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
kālo vā kāraṇaṁ rājño rājā vā kālakāraṇam | iti te saṁśayo mā bhūd rājā kālasya kāraṇam ||
«Le Temps est-il la cause du roi, ou le roi est-il la cause qui rend le Temps agissant ?» Que ce doute ne s’élève pas en ton esprit ; car le roi est la cause du Temps.
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.