Shloka 92

Devanagari script

मासतुसंज्ञापरिवर्तकेण सूर्याग्निना रात्रिदिवेन्धनेन । स्वकर्मनिष्ठाफलसाक्षिकेण भूतानि काल: पचति प्रसह,यह कालरूपी रसोइया बलपूर्वक सब जीवोंको पका रहा है। मास और ऋतु नामक करछुलसे वह जीवोंको उलटता-पलटता रहता है। सूर्य उसके लिये आगका काम देते हैं और कर्मफलके साक्षी रात और दिन उसके लिये ईंधन बने हुए हैं

Transliteration

māsartusaṃjñāparivartakena sūryāgninā rātridivendhanena | svakarmaniṣṭhāphalasākṣikeṇa bhūtāni kālaḥ pacati prasah ||

Translation

ಕಾಲವೆಂಬ ಅಡುಗೆಗಾರನು ಬಲವಂತವಾಗಿ ಎಲ್ಲ ಜೀವಿಗಳನ್ನು ‘ಬೇಯಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ’; ತಿಂಗಳುಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಋತುಗಳೆಂಬ ಕರಂಡಿಯಿಂದ ಅವುಗಳನ್ನು ಮರುಮರು ತಿರುಗಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಸೂರ್ಯನು ಅವನಿಗೆ ಅಗ್ನಿ; ಕರ್ಮಫಲಕ್ಕೆ ಸಾಕ್ಷಿಯಾದ ಹಗಲು-ರಾತ್ರಿಗಳು ಅವನಿಗೆ ಇಂಧನ.

Word by Word

मास-ऋतु-संज्ञा-परिवर्तकेणby the turner/turning-instrument called months and seasons

सूर्य-अग्निनाby the sun as (his) fire

रात्रि-दिव-इन्धनेनwith fuel consisting of night and day

स्व-कर्म-निष्ठा-फल-साक्षिकेणby the witness of the fruits fixed by one’s own actions

भूतानिbeings/creatures

कालःTime

पचतिcooks/ripens/consumes

प्रसहforcibly, by force

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Kāla (Time)

Sūrya (Sun)

Agni (Fire)

Rātri (Night)

Divā (Day)

Māsa (Months)

Ṛ

Ṛtu (Seasons)

Bhūtāni (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?

Time (kāla) is an irresistible cosmic force that matures and consumes all beings. The verse links this inevitability to moral causality: day and night stand as witnesses to karma’s fruits, implying that while none can escape time, one remains accountable for one’s actions within it.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa delivers a reflective teaching in Śānti Parva, using a kitchen metaphor: Time is a cook; months and seasons are the turning ladle; the sun is the fire; day and night are the fuel and also witnesses to karmic results. The imagery underscores the steady, unavoidable progression of life toward change, aging, and death.