Shloka 92
देवतापितृप्रश्नः — Nārada at Badarīāśrama: the ultimate referent of daiva and pitṛ worship
मासतुसंज्ञापरिवर्तकेण सूर्याग्निना रात्रिदिवेन्धनेन । स्वकर्मनिष्ठाफलसाक्षिकेण भूतानि काल: पचति प्रसह
māsartusaṃjñāparivartakena sūryāgninā rātridivendhanena | svakarmaniṣṭhāphalasākṣikeṇa bhūtāni kālaḥ pacati prasah ||
कालरूपी रसोइया बलपूर्वक सब प्राणियों को पकाता है; मास और ऋतु नामक करछुल से उन्हें उलटता-पलटता रहता है। सूर्य उसकी अग्नि है और कर्मफल के साक्षी दिन-रात उसके ईंधन हैं।
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Time (kāla) is an irresistible cosmic force that matures and consumes all beings. The verse links this inevitability to moral causality: day and night stand as witnesses to karma’s fruits, implying that while none can escape time, one remains accountable for one’s actions within it.
Vyāsa delivers a reflective teaching in Śānti Parva, using a kitchen metaphor: Time is a cook; months and seasons are the turning ladle; the sun is the fire; day and night are the fuel and also witnesses to karmic results. The imagery underscores the steady, unavoidable progression of life toward change, aging, and death.