The concept of Kāla and Karma

[Note: Kāla’s existence is beyond everything and no one knows about it. Karma's time factor is little lesser than Kāla and hence Kāla addresses Karma as ‘vatsa’ and Karma addresses Kāla with respect as—‘ārya’]

Time and Action are personified in the drama because both of them are the basic concepts of entire creation.

This depiction helps the dramatist in many ways. Many Advaitic aspects associated with time and action are also included in the dialogue between Kāla and Karma. Like a step by step description in an event, their discussion regarding the efforts of Jīva to thwart all his enemies, both physical and mental, brings the same impact in both the viewer and reader of this play.

Karma:

Karma has been ordained by the Śrutis for the welfare of the people. Only by observing the prescribed karmas, man begets the desired results here in this world as well as in the other world. By observing the rules of karma, a human being gets his mental purity.

Thus he becomes eligible to understand fully, the concepts of both the soul and God as depicted in the Vedas (VI.1):

tvāmājṣātamanugrahāya jagatāṃ devī vidhatte śrutirlokaḥ sādhayatīpsitaṃ bhavadanuṣṭhānādihāmutra ca |
kiṃ cāyaṃ samanuṣṭhitena bhavatā cittasya śuddhiṃ gatastattvaṃ veditumātmanaḥ prabhavati śrutyantasaṃdarśitam ||

Karma is divided into three as:

1. Nitya,
2. Naimittika and
3. Kāmya.

Karma bestows benefits upon every human being, and Devas like Indra, Vidhi and Hari by granting them their respective posts (VI.2):

tvaṃ nityanaimittikakāmyabhedāt sthitvā tridhānekaphalāni datse |
indratvamindrasya vidhervidhitvaṃ harerharitvaṃ ca phalaṃ tvadīyam || 2 ||

Kāla:

Kāla’s presence is inferred only with the movement of the Sun. Hence, the activities of people known as karma, depends upon Kāla. To give benefit to the people according to their activities Kāla modified itself into seasons.

The movements of the beings are in accordance with the nature of the seasons (VI.3):

sumatibhiranumeyastvaṃ sahasrāṃśugatya bhavati bhavadadhīnaṃ madvidhānaṃ janānām |
pariṇamayasi puṃsāṃ dātumarthātmanā māṃtvayi kṛtimati ṣoḍhā vikriyante ca bhāvāḥ ||

Though Kāla is divided as past, present and future, actually time flows continuously.

From tiniest unit of time as Nimeṣa to one Manvantara duration, Kāla’s divisions can be calculated but as there is no beginning, the end is also not found (VI.4-5):

traidhaṃ janaḥ śaṃsati vartamānaṃ bhūtaṃ bhaviṣyantamahaṃ punastvām |
aikadhyamāpannamakhaṇḍarūpamādhārameṣāṃ jagatāmavaimi ||
nimeṣakāṣṭhe cakalākṣaṇau ca muhūrtarātriṃdivapakṣamāsān |
bhavattanū ṛttvayane tathābdaṃ yugaṃ ca manvantaramityavaimi ||