Shloka 13

Atithi-prāpti and the Brāhmaṇa’s Deliberation on Triadic Dharma (अतिथिप्राप्तिः धर्मत्रयविचारश्च)

Devanagari script

स्मृत्वा कालपरीमाण् प्रवृत्ति ये समास्थिता: । दोष: कालपरीमाणे महानेष क्रियावताम्‌,जो लोग नियत कालतक प्राप्त होनेवाले स्वर्गादि फलोंको लक्ष्य करके प्रवृत्तिमार्गका आश्रय लेते हैं, उन कर्मपरायण पुरुषोंके लिये यही सबसे बड़ा दोष है कि वे कालकी सीमामें आबद्ध रहकर ही कर्मका फल भोग करते हैं

Transliteration

Janamejaya uvāca: smṛtvā kālaparimāṇaṁ pravṛtti ye samāsthitāḥ | doṣaḥ kālaparimāṇe mahān eṣa kriyāvatām ||

Translation

നിശ്ചിതമായ കാലപരിമാണം മനസ്സിൽ വെച്ച്, സ്വർഗ്ഗാദി കാലബന്ധിത ഫലങ്ങളെ ലക്ഷ്യമാക്കി പ്രവൃത്തിമാർഗ്ഗത്തിൽ നിലകൊള്ളുന്ന കർമനിഷ്ഠർക്കുള്ള മഹാദോഷം ഇതുതന്നെ—കർമഫലം കാലപരിധിക്കുള്ളിൽ ബന്ധിതമായതിനാൽ അത് പരിമിതവും ക്ഷയശീലവുമാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

स्मृत्वाhaving remembered

कालपरिमाणम्the measure/limit of time

प्रवृत्तिम्activity; the path of action

येwho (those who)

समास्थिताःhave taken refuge in; are established in

दोषःfault; defect

कालपरिमाणेin the time-limit/measure

महान्great

एषःthis

क्रियावताम्of those engaged in action; of doers

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Janamejaya

kāla (time)

pravṛtti (path of action)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Actions pursued for time-limited rewards (like heaven) yield results that are themselves limited by time; this finitude is presented as a major flaw for those devoted to result-oriented activity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Janamejaya raises a reflective point about the limitation inherent in the pravṛtti-oriented pursuit of ritual and worldly merit: its fruits are enjoyed only within temporal bounds and therefore do not constitute an ultimate good.