Shloka 283
क्व च युद्धमिदं भूय: “कालो हि दुरतिक्रम:” । दुर्योधन बोला--शिनिप्रवर! हमारा बचपनका वह खेल कहाँ चला गया और फिर यह युद्ध कहाँसे आ धमका? हाय! कालका उल्लंघन करना अत्यन्त ही कठिन है
kva ca yuddham idaṃ bhūyaḥ “kālo hi duratikramaḥ” |
Duryodhana said: “Where has that childhood play gone, and how has this war come upon us again? Alas—Time is indeed exceedingly hard to overstep.” In the midst of devastation, he recognizes the moral tragedy of kin-slaying and the inexorable force of kāla that drives events beyond personal control.
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the irresistible power of kāla (Time/fate) and the bitter realization that choices and consequences can carry one from innocent beginnings into catastrophic conflict; it invites reflection on responsibility, impermanence, and the moral cost of war.
In the Drona Parva’s intense battle context, Duryodhana laments how the situation has escalated from childhood familiarity among kinsmen to repeated, unavoidable warfare, attributing the grim turn of events to the overpowering force of Time.