Shloka 21

Devanagari script

आसन शयनं यानमुत्थानं पानभोजनम्‌ । नियतं सर्वभूतानां कालेनैव भवत्युत,सभी प्राणियोंके लिये बैठना, सोना, चलना-फिरना, उठना और खाना-पीना--ये सभी कार्य समयके अनुसार ही नियत रूपसे होते रहते हैं

Transliteration

āsanaśayanaṁ yānam utthānaṁ pānabhojanam | niyataṁ sarvabhūtānāṁ kālenaiva bhavaty uta ||

Translation

ジャナカ王は言う。「すべての生きものにとって、坐すこと、臥すこと、歩み回ること、起き上がること、飲食すること——これらはみな一定のあり方で起こり、ただ時（カーラ）によって統べられている。」

Word by Word

आसनम्sitting (seat/posture)

शयनम्lying down, sleeping

यानम्going, movement; vehicle/journey

उत्थानम्rising, getting up

पानभोजनम्drinking and eating

नियतंfixed, regulated

सर्वभूतानाम्of all beings

कालेनby time, through time

एवindeed, only

भवतिhappens, becomes, is

उतand, also (emphatic particle)

Speaker

जनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

Janaka

kāla (Time)

sarvabhūtāni (all beings)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

That even basic bodily functions and routines are regulated by Kāla (Time) for all beings; recognizing this reduces egoistic doership and supports disciplined, detached living aligned with dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

King Janaka is speaking in a reflective, instructive context within the Śānti Parva, emphasizing a philosophical point: ordinary actions like sitting, sleeping, moving, rising, eating, and drinking proceed according to an overarching temporal order.