Shloka 38
शल्यपर्वणि प्रथमाध्यायः — Karṇa-vadha-anantaraṃ Śalya-niyogaḥ, Saṃjayasya Dhṛtarāṣṭra-nivedanam
कालेन निहतं सर्व जगद् वै भरतर्षभ
kālena nihataṃ sarvaṃ jagad vai bharatarṣabha
ഹേ ഭരതവൃഷഭാ, കാലത്തിന്റെ പ്രഹാരത്തിൽ സർവ്വ ജഗത്തും ഒടുവിൽ നിഹതമായിത്തീരുന്നു.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the sovereignty of Kāla (Time): all beings and achievements are impermanent, and time inevitably brings decline and death. Ethically, it urges humility, detachment from pride, and sober reflection amid the violence and losses of war.
Vaiśaṃpāyana addresses the listener as “bharatarṣabha,” framing the unfolding events of the Shalya Parva within a larger cosmic perspective: the devastation of the war is not merely human agency but also the inexorable working of Time that overcomes the entire world.