Shloka 50
Śama-prāptiḥ — Gautamī–Lubdhaka–Pannaga–Mṛtyu–Kāla-saṃvāda
Restraint through the Analysis of Karma and Time
मृत्युरुवाच प्रचोदितो5हं कालेन पन्नग त्वामचूचुदम् । विनाशहेतुर्नास्य त्वमहं न प्राणिन: शिशो:
mṛtyur uvāca | pracodito 'haṃ kālena pannaga tvām acūcudam | vināśahetur nāsya tvaṃ ahaṃ na prāṇinaḥ śiśoḥ |
Maut berkata: “Didorong oleh Kala (Waktu), wahai ular, akulah yang menggerakkanmu untuk menggigit. Maka dalam kebinasaan makhluk bayi ini, bukan engkau dan bukan juga aku yang menjadi sebab yang sebenar.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse shifts moral blame away from the immediate instrument (the serpent) and even from Death, asserting that Kāla (Time/destiny) is the overriding force behind events; it invites reflection on causality, karma, and the limits of personal agency.
In a dialogue framed within Bhīṣma’s instruction, Death personified addresses a serpent, explaining that the serpent’s bite occurred because Time impelled it, and thus neither the serpent nor Death should be seen as the direct cause of the infant’s demise.