Shloka 11
जनकस्य मोक्षमार्गप्रश्नः तथा पञ्चशिखोपदेश-प्रस्तावः | Janaka’s Path to Liberation: Prelude to Pañcaśikha’s Instruction
नाभ्येति कारणं कार्य न कार्य कारणं तथा । कार्याणां तूपकरणे कालो भवति हेतुमान्,न तो कारण कार्यमें प्रवेश करता है और न कार्य कारणमें। कार्य करते समय काल ही उनकी सिद्धि और असिद्धिमें हेतु होता है
nābhyeti kāraṇaṁ kāryaṁ na kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ tathā | kāryāṇāṁ tūpakaraṇe kālo bhavati hetumān, na tu kāraṇaṁ kāryam |
毗湿摩说道：“因不入果，果亦不入因。诸行之实际施作中，决定其成败者乃是时（迦罗，Kāla），并非因融入果中。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse distinguishes cause and effect as conceptually separate and emphasizes that, in practical outcomes, Time (kāla) functions as the decisive factor behind success or failure. It cautions against assuming a simple, direct ‘cause merges into effect’ model and highlights temporal conditions as crucial.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right understanding. Here he offers a philosophical clarification about causality and the role of Time in the fruition of actions, as part of broader ethical and metaphysical counsel after the war.