Shloka 18
कालनिर्णयः, युगधर्मवर्णनम्, सृष्टिक्रमश्च
Time-Reckoning, Yuga-Dharma, and the Sequence of Creation
महाविद्योउल्पविद्यश्न बलवान् दुर्बलश्ष यः । दर्शनीयो विरूपश्न सुभगो दुर्भगश्चन यः:
śakra uvāca | mahāvidyo 'lpavidyaś ca balavān durbalaś ca yaḥ | darśanīyo virūpaś ca subhago durbhagaś ca yaḥ | gambhīraḥ kālaḥ sarvān svatejasā grahaṇaṃ karoti | ataḥ teṣāṃ sarveṣāṃ kālādhinībhāve jagataḥ kṣaṇabhaṅguratāṃ jānato mama baler vā kiṃ vyathā bhavet ||
Śakra disse: “Quer alguém seja muito erudito ou pouco instruído, forte ou fraco, belo ou disforme, afortunado ou desafortunado—o Tempo, profundo e devorador, arrebata a todos por sua própria força. Portanto, quando todos igualmente caem sob o domínio do Tempo, que tristeza poderia haver para mim, Bali, que compreendo a natureza momentânea e perecível do mundo?”
श॒क्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Time (kāla) overpowers all distinctions—learning, strength, beauty, and fortune. Recognizing the world’s fleeting nature, one should reduce grief and cultivate detachment and clarity about mortality.
Śakra (Indra) speaks reflectively about the universal dominion of Time, concluding that for Bali—who understands impermanence—there is no reason for anguish when all beings inevitably come under Time’s power.