Shloka 38
शल्यपर्वणि प्रथमाध्यायः — Karṇa-vadha-anantaraṃ Śalya-niyogaḥ, Saṃjayasya Dhṛtarāṣṭra-nivedanam
कालेन निहतं सर्व जगद् वै भरतर्षभ
kālena nihataṃ sarvaṃ jagad vai bharatarṣabha
毗湿摩波耶那说道：“噢婆罗多族之雄牛，随时间之轮转，整个世界终将被击倒——时间使万物走向终结。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the sovereignty of Kāla (Time): all beings and achievements are impermanent, and time inevitably brings decline and death. Ethically, it urges humility, detachment from pride, and sober reflection amid the violence and losses of war.
Vaiśaṃpāyana addresses the listener as “bharatarṣabha,” framing the unfolding events of the Shalya Parva within a larger cosmic perspective: the devastation of the war is not merely human agency but also the inexorable working of Time that overcomes the entire world.