Shloka 20

Adhyātma-krama: Indriya–Manas–Buddhi–Ātman Hierarchy and Citta-Prasāda (आध्यात्मक्रमः)

Devanagari script

यच्चेदं प्रभव: स्थान भूतानां संयमो यम: । स्वभावेनैव वर्तन्ते द्वन्द्रसृष्टानि भूरिश:,यह जो काल नामक तत्त्व है, वही प्राणियोंकी उत्पत्ति, पालन, संहार और नियन्त्रण करनेवाला है। उसीमें द्वन्धयुक्त असंख्य प्राणी स्वभावसे ही निवास करते हैं

Transliteration

yaccedaṃ prabhavaḥ sthānaṃ bhūtānāṃ saṃyamo yamaḥ | svabhāvenaiva vartante dvandrasṛṣṭāni bhūriśaḥ ||

Translation

വ്യാസൻ പറഞ്ഞു—‘കാലം’ എന്ന തത്ത്വം തന്നെയാണ് ജീവികളുടെ ഉദ്ഭവവും അധിഷ്ഠാനവും; അതേ കാലം തന്നെയാണ് അവരുടെ നിയന്ത്രണവും ഭരണവും (യമം) കൂടെ. അതിനുള്ളിൽ ദ്വന്ദ്വങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നു സൃഷ്ടിക്കപ്പെട്ട അനവധി ജീവികൾ തങ്ങളുടെ സ്വഭാവപ്രകാരം തന്നെ പ്രവർത്തിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

यत्that which

चand

इदम्this

प्रभवःorigin, source

स्थानम्abode, station

भूतानाम्of beings/creatures

संयमःrestraint, control

यमःYama; the restrainer

स्वभावेनby (their) own nature

एवindeed, just

वर्तन्तेthey exist/behave, they go on

द्वन्द्व-सृष्टानिcreated with pairs of opposites

भूरिशःin great number, abundantly

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Kāla (Time)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Time (Kāla) is presented as the overarching principle that brings beings forth, provides their ground of existence, and regulates them; within this framework, creatures act according to their inherent nature (svabhāva) amid the play of opposites (dvandva).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the didactic discourse of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa explains a metaphysical view: the world of living beings is governed by Time, and the diversity of conduct and experience arises naturally from svabhāva under the conditions of dualities.