Mahabharata 9.63.48 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 63, Shloka 48

Duryodhana’s Post-Duel Lament and Instructions (भग्नसक्थस्य विलापः)

Devanagari script

यथा मूढो भवान्‌ पूर्वमस्मिन्नर्थे समुद्यते । किमन्यत्‌ कालयोगाद्धि दिष्टमेव परायणम्‌

Transliteration

yathā mūḍho bhavān pūrvam asminn arthe samudyate | kim anyat kālayogād dhi diṣṭam eva parāyaṇam ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Sebagaimana engkau dahulu tersesat dan digerakkan dalam perkara ini—ketika persiapan perang—demikianlah semua yang fikirannya dicemari oleh kuasa Kala (Waktu) akan jatuh ke dalam kebingungan. Apa lagi yang dapat dinamakan selain kerja Kala? Sesungguhnya takdir semata-mata menjadi tempat berserah yang terakhir.”

Word by Word

• {'yathā': 'just as

• in the manner that', 'mūḍhaḥ': 'bewildered, deluded, foolish', 'bhavān': 'you (honorific)', 'pūrvam': 'formerly, earlier', 'asmin arthe': 'in this matter

• in this affair', 'samudyate (samudyataḥ)': 'aroused, set in motion

• stirred up/engaged', 'kim anyat': 'what else?', 'kālayogāt': 'from the conjunction/operation of Time

• due to Time’s agency', 'hi': 'indeed, for', 'diṣṭam': 'destiny, what is ordained/fated', 'eva': 'alone

• certainly', 'parāyaṇam': 'supreme resort, final refuge, ultimate recourse'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Bhārata (addressed person, i.e., descendant of Bharata)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse stresses that when the mind is overpowered by Kāla (Time), people fall into moha (delusion) and act unwisely; in such moments, events appear driven by daiva/diṣṭa (what is ordained). It frames human confusion and impulsive decisions—especially in war—as symptoms of Time’s overpowering force.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana, narrating the events, addresses “Bhārata” and recalls that earlier, during the preparations for war, the listener too became mentally clouded and stirred into that course of action. He interprets this as the operation of Kāla, concluding that destiny becomes the ultimate refuge when such overpowering forces govern events.