Shloka 24
अहो महच्चित्रमिदं कालगत्या दुरत्यया । आरुरुक्षत्युपानद् वै शिरो मुकुटसेवितम् ॥ २४ ॥
aho mahac citram idaṁ kāla-gatyā duratyayā ārurukṣaty upānad vai śiro mukuṭa-sevitam
โอ้ ช่างน่าพิศวงยิ่งนัก! กระแสแห่งกาลเวลานั้นยากจะต้านทาน—รองเท้าอันต่ำต้อยกลับคิดจะขึ้นเหนือเศียรที่ประดับมงกุฎราชา
By the words kāla-gatyā duratyayā, “the insurmountable movement of time,” the intolerant Kurus allude to the degraded Age of Kali, which was about to begin. Here the Kurus indicate that the fallen Age of Kali had indeed already begun, since they claim that now “the shoe wants to climb on the head that bears the royal crown.” In other words, they thought that the lowly Yadus now wanted to rise above the royal Kurus.
FAQs
This verse states that time is duratyayā—irresistible—and can invert social order so drastically that even something lowly (a shoe) can come to dominate what was once honored (a head served by crowns).
It is a sharp image to show how pride in status is fragile: by time’s turn, the exalted can be dishonored, reminding readers to seek shelter in Bhagavān rather than temporary prestige.
Treat success and position as temporary, avoid arrogance, and cultivate steady devotion and character—so that inevitable reversals brought by time do not shake one’s inner purpose.