न कालो दण्डमुद्यम्य शिर: कृन्तति कस्यचित् | कालस्य बलमेतावद् विपरीतार्थदर्शनम्,काल डंडा या तलवार लेकर किसीका सिर नहीं काटता। कालका बल इतना ही है कि वह प्रत्येक वस्तुके विषयमें मनुष्यकी विपरीत बुद्धि कर देता है
na kālo daṇḍam udyamya śiraḥ kṛntati kasyacit | kālasya balam etāvad viparītārthadarśanam ||
न कालो दण्डमुद्यम्य शिरः कृन्तति कस्यचित् । कालस्य बलमेतावद् विपरीतार्थदर्शनम् ॥
संजय उवाच
The verse teaches that Time’s most dangerous power is not direct violence but the distortion of human understanding—when judgment turns upside down, people choose wrongly and become the agents of their own downfall.
In the Sabha Parva context, Sañjaya reflects on how catastrophic outcomes arise when minds are clouded: instead of Time physically striking someone down, it works through confused perception that drives people toward harmful decisions.