Mahabharata 6.3.54 — Bhishma Parva, Adhyaya 3, Shloka 54
उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents
कालो<थयं पुत्ररूपेण तव जातो विशाम्पते । न वध: पूज्यते वेदे हितं॑ नैव कथंचन
kālo ’thāyaṃ putrarūpeṇa tava jāto viśāmpate | na vadhaḥ pūjyate vede hitaṃ naiva kathaṃcana ||
“ஓ விசாம்பதே! இதே காலமே உன் மகனாகப் பிறந்துள்ளது. வேதம் கொலைக்குப் புகழ்ச்சி செய்யாது; வன்முறையால் எவ்வித நன்மையும் உண்டாகாது.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames violence as ethically barren: even when events seem driven by ‘Time’ (kāla) and destiny, killing is not to be celebrated as a Vedic ideal, and genuine welfare (hita) cannot be founded on himsā.
Vaiśampāyana addresses a king, interpreting the king’s son as an embodiment of Kāla (Time/fate). The statement functions as a moral warning: the rise of destructive forces may appear inevitable, yet the tradition does not sanctify killing as praiseworthy, nor does it yield true good.
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