Shloka 7
Indra Slays Namuci—The Limits of Power and the Triumph of Divine Strategy
श्रीबलिरुवाच सङ्ग्रामे वर्तमानानां कालचोदितकर्मणाम् । कीर्तिर्जयोऽजयो मृत्यु: सर्वेषां स्युरनुक्रमात् ॥ ७ ॥
śrī-balir uvāca saṅgrāme vartamānānāṁ kāla-codita-karmaṇām kīrtir jayo ’jayo mṛtyuḥ sarveṣāṁ syur anukramāt
ശ്രീബലി മഹാരാജാവ് പറഞ്ഞു—യുദ്ധഭൂമിയിലെ എല്ലാവരും കാലം പ്രേരിപ്പിക്കുന്ന കര്മ്മത്തിന്റെ അധീനരാണ്; അതിനാല് ക്രമമായി കീര്ത്തി, ജയം, പരാജയം, മരണം എല്ലാവര്ക്കും വരും.
If one is victorious on the battlefield, he becomes famous; and if one is not victorious but is defeated, he may die. Both victory and defeat are possible, whether on such a battlefield as this or on the battlefield of the struggle for existence. Everything takes place according to the laws of nature ( prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ ). Since everyone, without exception, is subject to the modes of material nature, whether one is victorious or defeated he is not independent, but is under the control of material nature. Bali Mahārāja, therefore, was very sensible. He knew that the fighting was arranged by eternal time and that under time’s influence one must accept the results of one’s own activities. Therefore even though Indra threatened that he would now kill Bali Mahārāja by releasing the thunderbolt, Bali Mahārāja was not at all afraid. This is the spirit of a kṣatriya: yuddhe cāpy apalāyanam ( Bg. 18.43 ). A kṣatriya must be tolerant in all circumstances, especially on the battlefield. Thus Bali Mahārāja asserted that he was not at all afraid of death, although he was threatened by such a great personality as the King of heaven.
FAQs
This verse states that in battle, actions and results are impelled by time (kāla), and thus fame, victory, defeat, and death reach everyone in a fixed sequence.
Bali speaks to frame the conflict realistically: outcomes in war are uncertain and governed by time, so one should act according to duty without arrogance in victory or despair in defeat.
Do your duty sincerely, but stay steady—treat praise, success, setbacks, and loss as temporary phases that arrive in time, and keep your mind anchored in dharma and devotion.