कालः क्रीडत्ययं प्रायः सर्वमापदि पातयन् । हेलाविचलिताशेषचतुराचारचञ्चुरः ॥ ४२ ॥
kālaḥ krīḍatyayaṁ prāyaḥ sarvamāpadi pātayan | hēlāvicalitāśēṣacaturācāracañcuraḥ || 42 ||
Translation
This Time mostly plays, throwing everything into misfortune, skilled in casually upsetting all the conduct of the clever.
Word by word
- kālaḥ
- Time
- krīḍati
- plays
- ayaṁ
- this
- prāyaḥ
- mostly
- sarvam
- everything
- āpadi
- into misfortune
- pātayan
- throwing
- hēlā
- casually
- vicalita
- upsetting
- aśēṣa
- all
- catura
- of the clever
- ācāra
- the conduct
- cañcuraḥ
- skilled
Meaning
Time plays, and its game is to knock over the plans of the clever, with ease (helā), as the commentary says, turning even the capable into the incapable. The verse is directed at those who trust their own skill.