Shloka 30
Aśmagīta: Janaka’s Inquiry on Loss, Kāla, and the Limits of Control (अश्मगीता)
अहमेतत् करोमीति मन्यते कालनोदित: । यद् यदिष्टमसंतोषाद् दुरात्मा पापमाचरेत्,दुरात्मा मनुष्य कालसे प्रेरित होकर यह अभिमान करने लगता है कि मैं यह करूँगा। तत्पश्चात् असंतोषवश उसे जो-जो अभीष्ट होता है, उस पापपूर्ण कृत्यको भी वह करने लगता है
aham etat karomīti manyate kāla-noditaḥ | yad yad iṣṭam asaṃtoṣād durātmā pāpam ācaret |
Janaka disse: Impelido pelo Tempo, o homem imagina: “Eu sou o agente disto.” Depois, por descontentamento, tudo o que deseja—ainda que seja pecado—sua mente corrompida prossegue em cometê-lo.
जनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that when a person, pushed by the force of Time, falls into the ego of doership (“I am the agent”), dissatisfaction fuels desire, and desire can drive one to commit even sinful acts. Ethical life therefore requires vigilance over ego, contentment, and restraint.
In the Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse, King Janaka speaks about inner causality: how Time’s impulse, combined with the delusion of personal agency, leads a morally weakened person to chase desired ends and thereby perform wrongful deeds.