Shloka 43
उत्पातदर्शनम् — Portents and Kāla among the Vṛṣṇis
नासीत् पलाय-ने बुद्धिर्वध्यमानस्य कस्यचित् । तत्रापश्यन्महाबाहुर्जानन् कालस्य पर्ययम्
nāsīt palāyane buddhir vadhyamānasya kasyacit | tatrāpaśyan mahābāhur jānan kālasya paryayam ||
नासीत् पलायने बुद्धिर्वध्यमानस्य कस्यचित् । तत्रापश्यन्महाबाहुर्जानन् कालस्य पर्ययम् ॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
When Kāla (Time/fate) turns, ordinary prudence and self-preservation can fail; the verse frames mass violence as a manifestation of an inevitable karmic reversal, warning that moral and social order can collapse when destiny ripens.
Amid a chaotic slaughter, those being attacked cannot even think to run. A heroic figure described as “mighty-armed” witnesses the scene, understanding it as the decisive turning of Time—an unavoidable culmination rather than a controllable human conflict.