This cosmic function is best captured in the Bhagavad Gita , where Krishna declares, "I am all-devouring Time (Kaala), grown old, engaged in destroying the worlds." Here, Kaal is not cruel but impartial—the great leveler that reminds every being of its impermanence. Just as a farmer harvests crops regardless of their beauty, Kaal gathers all lives at their appointed end. For the individual, Kaal manifests as the fear of death and the anxiety of fleeting time. Hindu scriptures acknowledge this fear but offer paths to transcendence. The Mahabharata contains a famous dialogue where King Yudhishthira asks, "What is the most wonderful thing in the world?" The answer: "Day after day, countless creatures die, yet those who remain believe they will live forever." This paradox—knowing intellectually that Kaal will claim us, yet living as if we are eternal—is the human condition.
The remedy lies in jnana (wisdom) and vairagya (detachment). The Yoga Vasistha teaches that when one realizes the Self ( Atman ) is unborn and undying, Kaal loses its sting. Time becomes a relative illusion—a dream within the Absolute. The wise person, therefore, does not flee from Kaal but accepts it as the rhythm of life, using each moment for self-realization rather than futile accumulation. Hindu rituals are filled with acknowledgments of Kaal. The sandhyavandanam (twilight prayers) marks the junctions of day and night—moments when time shifts. Festivals like Diwali celebrate the triumph of light over darkness but also mark the end of one year and the beginning of another. Even the funeral rites, antyesti , are a final honoring of Kaal's power: the body, having lived its allotted breaths, is returned to the five elements, freeing the soul for its next journey.
As the Rig Veda says, "Time moves like a chariot with seven wheels and six spokes, carrying all beings toward their destiny." Whether we struggle or flow, Kaal continues. The wise choose to flow.
This cosmic function is best captured in the Bhagavad Gita , where Krishna declares, "I am all-devouring Time (Kaala), grown old, engaged in destroying the worlds." Here, Kaal is not cruel but impartial—the great leveler that reminds every being of its impermanence. Just as a farmer harvests crops regardless of their beauty, Kaal gathers all lives at their appointed end. For the individual, Kaal manifests as the fear of death and the anxiety of fleeting time. Hindu scriptures acknowledge this fear but offer paths to transcendence. The Mahabharata contains a famous dialogue where King Yudhishthira asks, "What is the most wonderful thing in the world?" The answer: "Day after day, countless creatures die, yet those who remain believe they will live forever." This paradox—knowing intellectually that Kaal will claim us, yet living as if we are eternal—is the human condition.
The remedy lies in jnana (wisdom) and vairagya (detachment). The Yoga Vasistha teaches that when one realizes the Self ( Atman ) is unborn and undying, Kaal loses its sting. Time becomes a relative illusion—a dream within the Absolute. The wise person, therefore, does not flee from Kaal but accepts it as the rhythm of life, using each moment for self-realization rather than futile accumulation. Hindu rituals are filled with acknowledgments of Kaal. The sandhyavandanam (twilight prayers) marks the junctions of day and night—moments when time shifts. Festivals like Diwali celebrate the triumph of light over darkness but also mark the end of one year and the beginning of another. Even the funeral rites, antyesti , are a final honoring of Kaal's power: the body, having lived its allotted breaths, is returned to the five elements, freeing the soul for its next journey.
As the Rig Veda says, "Time moves like a chariot with seven wheels and six spokes, carrying all beings toward their destiny." Whether we struggle or flow, Kaal continues. The wise choose to flow.
NOTE: If you're still having trouble getting either methods to work, then see here.
I often get e-mails from people asking how they can donate to my projects, but I don't like to accept donations for this particular kind of stuff. If you'd still really like to help out, though, if you buy any EarthBound/MOTHER merchandise through these links, I'll get a dollar or so. This will help keep EarthBound Central up and running, not to mention many of my other projects, like Game Swag!
| Poe | byuu | reidman | Jonk | Plo |
| sarsie | HockeyMonkey | weasly64 | Rhyselinn | PKDX |
| Buck Fever | dreraserhead | Demolitionizer | Kasumi | Ness and Sonic |
| PK_Fanta | linkdude20002001 | climhazard | TheZunar123 | sonicstar5 |
| Skye | Triverske | Mother Bound | Blair32 | PSIWolf674 |
| Ice Sage | PK Mt. Fuji | The Great Morgil | Ness-Ninten-Lucas | LordQuadros |
| Ross | rotschleim | LakituAl | Kuwanger | MotherFan |
| Anonymous | BroBuzz | Trevor | Rathe coolguy | EBrent |
| Robert | KingDarian | Satsy | tapioca | curtmack |
| Chuggaaconroy | Roido | MarioFan3 | blahmoomoo | VGMaster64 |
| Corey | Superstarman | Halloween | Robo85 | ZUUL |
| Crav | Priestess Paula | My Name Here | Aangie | platinatina |
| Petalklunk | Aviarei | Cuca | Realn |
And probably a hundred or more other helpful people! Forgive me if your name should have been here, there are so many to remember that my brain is failing me now. But know that your help was appreciated and led to this patch's creation!