Shloka 55
Dasyu-maryādā and Buddhi-guided Rāja-nīti (दस्युमर्यादा तथा बुद्धिप्रधान-राजनीति)
कस्माद देवासुरा: पूर्वमन्योन्यमभिजघ्निरे । यदि कालेन निर्याणं सुखं दु:खं भवाभवौ
brahmadatta uvāca | kasmād devāsurāḥ pūrvam anyonyam abhijaghnire | yadi kālena niryāṇaṃ sukhaṃ duḥkhaṃ bhavābhavau |
Wika ni Brahmadatta: “Kung ang pagpanaw sa buhay, gayundin ang ligaya at pighati, ang pag-angat at pagbagsak—lahat ng pagkamit at pagkawala—ay dulot lamang ng Kāla, bakit noong unang panahon ay nagpatayan sa digmaan ang mga deva at mga asura? Kung ang Panahon lamang ang nagtatakda ng kahihinatnan, ano pa ang saysay ng karahasan?”
ब्रह्मदत्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a philosophical challenge: if Time (kāla) alone governs death, pleasure, pain, and rise or fall, then human (or divine) agency—especially violent action—seems purposeless. It invites reflection on how moral responsibility and effort can be meaningful even within a worldview that emphasizes kāla as a supreme force.
Brahmadatta questions a doctrine that attributes all outcomes to Time. He points to the ancient wars between devas and asuras as evidence: if Time alone determines victory, defeat, and death, why did they engage in mutual slaughter? The question presses the interlocutor to reconcile cosmic determinism with the observed reality of conflict and choice.