Shloka 30

Devanagari script

अहमेतत्‌ करोमीति मन्यते कालनोदित: । यद्‌ यदिष्टमसंतोषाद्‌ दुरात्मा पापमाचरेत्‌,दुरात्मा मनुष्य कालसे प्रेरित होकर यह अभिमान करने लगता है कि मैं यह करूँगा। तत्पश्चात्‌ असंतोषवश उसे जो-जो अभीष्ट होता है, उस पापपूर्ण कृत्यको भी वह करने लगता है

Transliteration

aham etat karomīti manyate kāla-noditaḥ | yad yad iṣṭam asaṃtoṣād durātmā pāpam ācaret |

Translation

ジャナカ王は言った。「時（カーラ）に駆り立てられ、人は『これは私が為すのだ』と思い上がる。やがて不満ゆえに、望むものが何であれ—たとえ罪であっても—その濁った心は進んでそれを行ってしまう。」

Word by Word

अहम्I

एतत्this

करोमि(I) do

इतिthus

मन्यतेthinks, imagines

काल-नोदितःimpelled by Time

यत्whatever (which)

यत्whatever

इष्टम्desired

असंतोषात्from discontent

दुरात्माthe wicked person

पापम्sin, evil

आचरेत्would practice/commit

Speaker

जनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

Janaka

Kāla (Time)

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?

The verse warns that when a person, pushed by the force of Time, falls into the ego of doership (“I am the agent”), dissatisfaction fuels desire, and desire can drive one to commit even sinful acts. Ethical life therefore requires vigilance over ego, contentment, and restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse, King Janaka speaks about inner causality: how Time’s impulse, combined with the delusion of personal agency, leads a morally weakened person to chase desired ends and thereby perform wrongful deeds.