Shloka 39
कालनिर्णयः, युगधर्मवर्णनम्, सृष्टिक्रमश्च
Time-Reckoning, Yuga-Dharma, and the Sequence of Creation
परंतु यदि इस तरह काल मुझपर आक्रमण करके मेरे सिरपर सवार न होता तो मैं आज वज्ज लिये होनेपर भी तुम्हें केवल मुक्केसे मारकर धरतीपर गिरा देता ।।
na tu vikramakālo ’yaṃ śāntikālo ’yam āgataḥ | kālaḥ sthāpayate sarvaṃ kālaḥ pacati vai tathā ||
“然此非逞勇之时，乃当自抑守静之时已至。唯有时（Kāla）安置众生于种种境位，亦唯有时‘烹煮’众生——使之成熟、衰败，终至消散。”
श॒क्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even great power must submit to Kāla (Time). Ethical action includes recognizing when restraint is more appropriate than displaying strength; Time governs rise, stability, and decline for all beings.
Indra explains that the present moment is not suited for heroic aggression but for peace. He frames his choice not as weakness but as alignment with the cosmic order in which Time determines circumstances and outcomes.