Shloka 32
स्त्री-विलापः — गान्धार्याः रणभूमिदर्शनं शापवचनं च
Battlefield Lament and Gāndhārī’s Curse
ये हन्यु: शस्त्रवेगेन देवानपि नरर्षभा: । त इमे निहता: संख्ये पश्य कालस्य पर्ययम्,जो नरश्रेष्ठ अपने शस्त्रके वेगसे देवताओंको भी नष्ट कर सकते थे, वे ही ये युद्धमें मार डाले गये हैं; यह कालका उलट-फेर तो देखो
ye hanyuḥ śastravegena devān api nararṣabhāḥ | te ime nihatāḥ saṅkhye paśya kālasya paryayam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Those bull-like men who, by the sheer force of their weapons, could have slain even the gods—those very heroes now lie killed on the battlefield. Behold the reversal wrought by Time.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the mightiest human power is fragile before Kāla (Time): warriors capable of god-like feats can be brought down in an instant, revealing the moral and existential instability of worldly strength.
Vaiśampāyana points to the fallen heroes on the battlefield and underscores the shocking contrast between their former invincibility and their present death, framing it as a dramatic ‘reversal’ caused by Time.