Shloka 18
कृपकृपी-जननम्
The Birth of Kṛpa and Kṛpī; Kṛpa’s Attainment of Astras
पितृदेवर्षिमनुजैददेयं तेभ्यश्व धर्मत: । एतानि तु यथाकालं यो न बुध्यति मानव:
Vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca: pitṛ-devarṣi-manujaiḥ dade yaṃ tebhyaś ca dharmataḥ | etāni tu yathākālaṃ yo na budhyati mānavaḥ ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「法（ダルマ）に従い、祖霊に、神々に、聖仙に、そして人々に、しかるべきものを返さねばならぬ。だが、しかるべき時にこれらの義務を悟らぬ者は、功徳の世界に容易には至れない。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Human life is framed by dharma as a set of timely obligations—debts to ancestors, gods, seers, and fellow humans—which must be repaid through appropriate acts; neglecting them obstructs the attainment of merit and higher worlds.
Vaiśaṃpāyana, in his ongoing narration, states a general dharmic principle: people must recognize and discharge the traditional four obligations (ṛṇas) in due time; failure to do so undermines one’s spiritual and moral progress.