Shloka 31

Devanagari script

कालचक्रं च साक्षाच्च भगवान्‌ हव्यवाहन:ः । नरा दुष्कृतकर्माणो दक्षिणायनमृत्यव:,अगस्त्य, मतंग, काल, मृत्यु, यज्ञकर्ता, सिद्ध, योगशरीरधारी, अग्निष्वात्त पितर, फेनप, ऊष्मप, स्वधावान्‌, बर्हिषद्‌ तथा दूसरे मूर्तिमान्‌ पितर, साक्षात्‌ कालचक्र (संवत्सर आदि कालविभागके अभिमानी देवता), भगवान्‌ हव्यवाहन (अग्नि), दक्षिणायनमें मरनेवाले तथा सकामभावसे दुष्कर (श्रमसाध्य) कर्म करनेवाले मनुष्य, जनेश्वर कालकी अआज्ञामें तत्पर यमदूत, शिंशप एवं पलाश, काश और कुश आदिके अभिमानी देवता मूर्तिमान्‌ होकर उस सभामें धर्मराजकी उपासना करते हैं

Transliteration

kālacakraṃ ca sākṣāc ca bhagavān havyavāhanaḥ | narā duṣkṛtakarmāṇo dakṣiṇāyanamṛtyavaḥ ||

Translation

ନାରଦ କହିଲେ—ହେ ରାଜେନ୍ଦ୍ର! ସେଠାରେ ସାକ୍ଷାତ୍ କାଳଚକ୍ର ଓ ଭଗବାନ୍ ହବ୍ୟବାହନ (ଅଗ୍ନି) ମଧ୍ୟ ମୂର୍ତ୍ତିମାନ ହୋଇ ଉପସ୍ଥିତ। ଦକ୍ଷିଣାୟନରେ ମୃତ୍ୟୁବରଣ କରିଥିବା ମନୁଷ୍ୟମାନେ ଓ ଯେମାନେ କାମନାବଶେ କଷ୍ଟସାଧ୍ୟ ଏବଂ ଦୋଷମିଶ୍ରିତ କର୍ମ କରନ୍ତି—ସେମାନେ ମଧ୍ୟ ସେଠାରେ ଦେଖାଯାନ୍ତି। ସମସ୍ତେ କାଳବିଧାନର ଅଧୀନ, ଯମଙ୍କ ଆଜ୍ଞାରେ ସ୍ଥିତ ହୋଇ ସେହି ସଭାରେ ଧର୍ମରାଜଙ୍କୁ ସେବା କରନ୍ତି।

Word by Word

कालचक्रम्the wheel of time (time-cycle)

चand

साक्षात्directly, in person

चand

भगवान्the Blessed Lord

हव्यवाहनःAgni, the carrier of oblations

नराःmen

दुष्कृतकर्माणःwhose deeds are evil / who do difficult (toilsome) acts

दक्षिणायनमृत्यवःthose whose death occurs in the southern course (dakṣiṇāyana)

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

Kālacakra (Wheel of Time)

Havyavāhana (Agni)

Dakṣiṇāyana

Dharmarāja (Yama)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames moral causality within cosmic governance: Time (kāla) and Fire (Agni, witness of sacrifice) stand as powers that oversee and reveal karma, while Dharmarāja embodies judgment aligned with that order. Human actions—especially desire-driven, ethically compromised deeds—are not isolated; they fall under the ordinance of Time and Dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada is describing the beings present in Dharmarāja’s assembly. Among them are personified cosmic principles (the Wheel of Time), deities (Agni), and categories of humans marked by the manner/season of death and by their karmic profile, all depicted as attending upon Dharmarāja.