Shloka 11
नाभ्येति कारणं कार्य न कार्य कारणं तथा । कार्याणां तूपकरणे कालो भवति हेतुमान्,न तो कारण कार्यमें प्रवेश करता है और न कार्य कारणमें। कार्य करते समय काल ही उनकी सिद्धि और असिद्धिमें हेतु होता है
nābhyeti kāraṇaṁ kāryaṁ na kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ tathā | kāryāṇāṁ tūpakaraṇe kālo bhavati hetumān, na tu kāraṇaṁ kāryam |
भीष्म उवाच—न कारणं कार्ये प्रविशति, न च कार्यं कारणे तथा। कर्मणां तु प्रवृत्तौ काल एव हेतुमान् भवति, सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योर्निर्णायकः।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse distinguishes cause and effect as conceptually separate and emphasizes that, in practical outcomes, Time (kāla) functions as the decisive factor behind success or failure. It cautions against assuming a simple, direct ‘cause merges into effect’ model and highlights temporal conditions as crucial.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right understanding. Here he offers a philosophical clarification about causality and the role of Time in the fruition of actions, as part of broader ethical and metaphysical counsel after the war.