Shloka 58
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 50 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Bhīmasena (भीमसेनभयवर्णनम्)
मन्ये पर्यायधर्मो5यं कालस्यात्यन्तगामिन: । चक्रे प्रधिरिवासक्तो नास्थ शक््यं पलायितुम्
manye paryāyadharmo ’yaṃ kālasyātyantagāminaḥ | cakre pradhir ivāsakto nāsti śakyaṃ palāyitum ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra disse: “Penso que esta é a lei inevitável e recorrente do Tempo, que se move com velocidade irresistível. Como o aro preso à roda que gira, estou atado a este ciclo; por isso não me é possível fugir dele.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Time (kāla) operates through an inescapable recurring order; when one is bound into that cycle—by circumstances, attachments, or past actions—mere wishing cannot provide escape. The verse highlights human limitation before kāla and implicitly urges timely ethical action rather than fatalistic delay.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra reflects on the unfolding crisis leading toward war, sensing that events are being driven by the unstoppable momentum of Time. He describes himself as fastened to the wheel’s rim—carried along by the turning of circumstances—suggesting his inability (or unwillingness) to step away from the course events have taken.