Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 105, Shloka 19
भरतस्य प्रार्थना—रामस्य कालधर्मोपदेशः
Bharata’s Petition and Rama’s Instruction on Time and Mortality
अत्येति रजनी या तु सा न प्रतिनिवर्तते।यात्येव यमुना पूर्णा समुद्रमुदकाकुलम्।।2.105.19।।
atyeti rajanī yā tu sā na pratinivartate | yāty eva yamunā pūrṇā samudram udakākulam ||2.105.19||
Đêm đã qua thì không trở lại; cũng như sông Yamunā nước đầy cuồn cuộn, cứ chảy về biển cả mênh mang mà chẳng quay lui.
When the night dawned, those brothers surrounded by their friends made (morning) ablutions and, after the prayers, returned to Rama.
FAQs
It teaches urgency in dharma: time is irreversible, so one should act truthfully and rightly now rather than postponing duty.
The speaker uses images of night and river-flow to emphasize that what is gone cannot be retrieved.
Apramāda (vigilance): careful, timely action aligned with dharma.