Shloka 13
Atithi-prāpti and the Brāhmaṇa’s Deliberation on Triadic Dharma (अतिथिप्राप्तिः धर्मत्रयविचारश्च)
स्मृत्वा कालपरीमाण् प्रवृत्ति ये समास्थिता: । दोष: कालपरीमाणे महानेष क्रियावताम्
Janamejaya uvāca: smṛtvā kālaparimāṇaṁ pravṛtti ye samāsthitāḥ | doṣaḥ kālaparimāṇe mahān eṣa kriyāvatām ||
स्मृत्वा कालपरिमाणं प्रवृत्तिं ये समास्थिताः। स्वर्गादिफललाभाय तेषां क्रियावतां महान् दोषः—कालसीम्नि बद्धं हि कर्मफलम्, तस्मात् तदल्पं क्षयिष्णु च॥
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Actions pursued for time-limited rewards (like heaven) yield results that are themselves limited by time; this finitude is presented as a major flaw for those devoted to result-oriented activity.
Janamejaya raises a reflective point about the limitation inherent in the pravṛtti-oriented pursuit of ritual and worldly merit: its fruits are enjoyed only within temporal bounds and therefore do not constitute an ultimate good.