Shloka 22
Adhyāya 33 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Post-Conflict Remorse and Inquiry on Āśrama Discipline (शोक-विमर्शः, आश्रम-जिज्ञासा)
त्वष्टेव विहित॑ यन्त्र यथा चेष्टयितुर्वशे । कर्मणा कालयुक्तेन तथेदं चेष्टते जगत्
tvaṣṭeva vihitaṃ yantraṃ yathā ceṣṭayitur vaśe | karmaṇā kālayuktena tathedaṃ ceṣṭate jagat ||
त्वष्टेव विहितं यन्त्रं यथा चेष्टयितुर्वशे । कर्मणा कालयुक्तेन तथेदं चेष्टते जगत् ॥
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that worldly activity is governed by the combined forces of karma (causal action) and kāla (time). Like a crafted machine that moves under an operator’s control, the world’s motions are not merely personal whim; this encourages humility about individual control while still recognizing ethical responsibility for one’s actions.
In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Vyāsa offers a philosophical analogy to explain how events unfold. He compares the world’s functioning to a mechanism made by Tvaṣṭṛ, emphasizing that beings act within a larger framework shaped by karma and time.