Shloka 40

कालनिर्णयः, युगधर्मवर्णनम्, सृष्टिक्रमश्च

Time-Reckoning, Yuga-Dharma, and the Sequence of Creation

Devanagari script

मां चेदभ्यागत: कालो दानवेश्वरपूजितम्‌ । गर्जन्तं प्रतपन्तं च कमन्यं नागमिष्यति

Transliteration

māṃ ced abhyāgataḥ kālo dānaveśvara-pūjitam | garjantaṃ pratapantaṃ ca kam anyaṃ nāgamiṣyati ||

Translation

Nếu Thời gian (Kāla) đã giáng xuống cả ta—kẻ từng được các chúa tể Dānavas tôn thờ, từng gầm vang và rực cháy quyền uy—thì còn ai mà nó sẽ không tìm đến? Ý nghĩa đã rõ: không sức mạnh, danh vọng hay sự tôn kính thuở trước nào có thể che chở bất kỳ ai khỏi tầm với tất yếu của Thời gian.

Word by Word

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: common, accusative, singular

• चेत्: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत्

• अभ्यागतः: having come upon / arrived
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-आ-गम्
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular, क्त (past passive participle)

• कालः: Time; Death
• कालः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• दानवेश्वरपूजितम्: worshipped by the lords of the Dānavas
• दानवेश्वरपूजितम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूजित (पूज् + क्त)
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• गर्जन्तम्: roaring
• गर्जन्तम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: गर्ज्
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular, शतृ (present active participle)

• प्रतपन्तम्: scorching; displaying might
• प्रतपन्तम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-तप्
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular, शतृ (present active participle)

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• कम्: whom?
• कम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• अन्यम्: another
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• आगमिष्यति: will come/approach
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम्
• Form: future (लृट्), 3rd, singular, parasmaipada

Speaker

श॒क्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)
• Kāla (Time/Death)
• Dānaveśvarāḥ (lords of the Dānavas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Time (Kāla) is irresistible and universal: even the powerful and celebrated are not exempt, so one should cultivate humility and detachment rather than pride in strength or status.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śakra (Indra) reflects on his own former glory—being honored even by demon-lords and displaying great might—yet admits that Time has overtaken him; he uses this to argue that no one else can escape Kāla.