Shloka 19
Adhyaya 1 — Jaimini’s Questions on the Mahabharata and the Origin of the Wise Birds
मार्कण्डेय उवाच क्रियाकालोऽयमस्माकं समप्राप्तो मुनिसत्तम ।
विस्तरे चापि वक्तव्ये नैष कालः प्रशस्यते ॥
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca kriyākālo 'yamasmākaṃ samaprāpto munisattama |
vistare cāpi vaktavye naiṣa kālaḥ praśasyate ||
Mārkaṇḍeya dit : « Ô le meilleur des sages, le temps fixé pour nos devoirs est maintenant arrivé. Et lorsqu’une chose doit être expliquée longuement, ce n’est pas un moment digne d’éloge pour une parole étendue. »
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FAQs
Dharma is not only what is done, but also when it is done. The verse teaches prioritization: when obligatory actions (kriyā) are due, even valuable discussion should yield to timely duty. Speech and teaching are themselves dharmic acts, but they must be situated in a proper occasion (deśa-kāla-pātra).
This verse is part of the Purāṇic frame-setting and instruction (upodghāta/saṃvāda) rather than a direct instance of the pañcalakṣaṇa topics (sarga, pratisarga, vaṃśa, manvantara, vaṃśānucarita). It functions as narrative scaffolding that regulates when the main teaching will be delivered.
On a subtler reading, 'kriyākāla' points to the primacy of lived practice over mere conceptualization: realization is stabilized by disciplined action performed at the right moment. The verse also hints that sacred knowledge is best transmitted when attention is undivided and the environment is ritually and mentally prepared.