Shloka 35
Cakravyūha-saṃkalpaḥ, Saṃśaptaka-āhvānaṃ, Saubhadra-vikrīḍitam
Drona Parva, Adhyāya 32
ततः: सेनापति: शीघ्रमयं काल इति ब्रुवन्
tataḥ senāpatiḥ śīghram ayaṃ kāla iti bruvan
तब सेनापति ने शीघ्रता से कहा—“यह तो काल (मृत्यु) है।” उसने यह कठोर निश्चय प्रकट किया कि युद्ध में भाग्य-बल कभी एक ही अजेय क्षण में साकार-सा हो उठता है।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights Kāla—Time/Death—as an overriding power in the battlefield context, reminding that human prowess and plans are ultimately constrained by inevitability, and that ethical reflection in war must account for mortality and the limits of control.
Sañjaya reports that a commander reacts with urgency and identifies what he sees as ‘Kāla’ itself—an expression of alarm and recognition that a decisive, destructive force has manifested in the unfolding battle.