Shloka 97

Devanagari script

कालो न परिहार्यश्न न चास्यास्ति व्यतिक्रम: । “काल पुरातन (अनादि), सनातन, धर्मस्वरूप और समस्त प्राणियोंके प्रति समान दृष्टि रखनेवाला है। कालका किसीके द्वारा भी परिहार नहीं हो सकता और न उसका कोई उल्लड्घन ही कर सकता है ।।

Transliteration

Bhīṣma uvāca: Kālo na parihāryaś ca na cāsyāsti vyatikramaḥ. Ahorātrāṁś ca māsāṁś ca kṣaṇān kāṣṭhā lavān kalāḥ.

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“时间不可回避，也不可逾越。它衡量并携带着昼夜、月分、刹那，乃至最细微的时分流转而去。”

Word by Word

• kālaḥ: Time
• kālaḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• na: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na

• parihāryaḥ: avoidable / to be avoided
• parihāryaḥ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parihārya
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• na: nor
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca

• asya: of him/it (of time)
• asya: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (pronoun-stem: asmad/etad → asya as gen.sg.)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• asti: is/exists
• Type: Verb
• Root: as
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• vyatikramaḥ: transgression / overstepping
• vyatikramaḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyatikrama
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• aho-rātrān: days and nights
• aho-rātrān: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: aho-rātra
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• māsān: months
• māsān: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• kṣaṇān: moments
• kṣaṇān: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaṇa
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• kāṣṭhāḥ: kāṣṭhās (a unit of time)
• kāṣṭhāḥ: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāṣṭhā
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• lavān: lavas (a minute unit of time)
• lavān: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: lava
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• kalāḥ: kalās (a unit/part; also a time-measure)
• kalāḥ: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalā
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Kāla (Time)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Time (kāla) is inescapable and cannot be overruled; therefore one should abandon the illusion of control over inevitability and focus on dharmic action within the limited span that Time allots.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva instruction, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira on principles that govern life and conduct; here he emphasizes the irresistible power of Time, which moves all beings through measured durations from large cycles (days, months) to minute instants.