Time

मा कुरु धनजनयौवनगर्वं हरति निमेषात्कालः सर्वम्।
मायामयमिदमखिलं बुध्वा ब्रह्मपदं त्वं प्रविश विदित्वा॥ 

Maa kuru dhana-jana-yauvana-garvam
harati nimeṣhaat-kaalah sarvam.
maayaamayam-idam-akhilam budhvaa
brahmapadam tvam pravisha viditvaa.¹

Do not boast of wealth, friends, and youth. Each one of these is destroyed within a minute by time. Free yourself from the illusion of the world of illusion and attain the eternal Truth.

मा note कुरु do, to do धन money, wealth जन people यौव youth, adolescence न not गर्वं arrogance, pride, haughtiness हरति loots/steals away निमेषात् in a moment; in a blink of the eye कालः time; (time the master) सर्वम् all मायामयम् full of illusion इदम् this अखिलम् all बुध्वा after knowing ब्रह्मपदम् brahman, the state of Brahman त्वम् you प्रविश enter into विदित्वा having known, realised

दिनयामिन्यौ सायं प्रातः शिशिरवसन्तौ पुनरायातः ।
कालः क्रीडति गच्छत्यायुस्तदपि न मुञ्चत्याशावायुः ॥ 

Dinayaaminyau saayam praatah
shishira-vasantau punaraayaatah.
Kaalah kreeḍati gachchhati-aayus-tadapi
na muṇchaty-aashaavaayuh.²

Time comes and goes; days and nights, mornings and evenings, winters and summers all arrive and depart repeatedly. Eternal time plays while life goes on by – and yet, we cannot free ourselves of the storms of desire and attachment in the passage of time.

दिन day यामिनय – night यामिनयति (यामिनय) appear like night सायम् evening (and nights) प्रातः early morning, dawn शिशिरवसन्तौ winter and spring पुनः again अरायातः come (and depart) कालः time क्रीडति sports, play, frolic गच्छेति goes away आयुः life, age तदपि even so तत् so, therefore अपि too न not मुञ्चति frees, releases आशा desires, hope वायुः air, wind

भोगा न भुक्ता वयमेव भुक्तास्तपो न तप्तं वयमेव तप्ताः।
कालो न यातो वयमेव यातास्तृष्णा न जीर्णा वयमेव जीर्णाः॥

Bhogaa na bhuktaa vayameva bhuktaah-
stapo na taptam vayameva taptaah.
Kaalo na yaato vayameva yaataa
striṣhṇaa na jeerṇaa vayameva jeerṇaa³

In our efforts to enjoy pleasures, pleasure has had a pleasurable time with us. In our efforts to perform austerities, we ourselves have been performed. In our efforts to enjoy time, time has gone by. While the force of our desire is not reduced, we have been reduced to age.

भोगा worldly pleasures न not भुक्ता enjoyed वयमेव we orselves भुक्ता happened तप religious austerity तप्तम् practised तप्ताः scorched, melted, inflamed, incensed कालो the time यातो gone याता gone तृष्णा greed जीर्णा reduced intensity, senility, growing old जीर्णाः reduced intensity, senility, growing old

कालः पचति भूतानि, कालः संहरते प्रजाः।
कालः सुप्तेषु जागर्ति, कालो हि दुरतिक्रमः॥

Kaalaḥ pachati bhootaani,
kaalaḥ samharate prajaaḥ.
Kaalaḥ supteṣhu jaagarti,
kaalo hi durati-kramaḥ.⁴

Time consumes everything, even what is alive, taking back whatever was born. Time is difficult to overcome, it is always awake when we are asleep.

कालः time पचति digests भूतानि living things, with body, with life, animate संहरते kills, takes back प्रजाः that which is born सुप्तेषु while asleep जागर्ति wakes, is awake कालो time हि surely दुरतिक्रमः insurmountable, inevitable, difficult to overcome.

कालोऽस्मि लोकक्षयकृत्प्रवृद्धो लोकान्समाहर्तुमिह प्रवृत्त:।
ऋतेऽपि त्वां न भविष्यन्ति सर्वे येऽवस्थिता: प्रत्यनीकेषु योधा:॥

Kaalo ‘smi loka-kṣhaya-kṛit pravṛiddho
lokaan samaahartum-iha pravṛittaḥ.
Rite ‘pi tvaam na bhaviṣhyanti sarve
ye ’vasthitaaḥ pratyaneekeṣhu yodhaaḥ.⁵

I am time, the almighty time. Time destroys people, worlds and everything. Even without your participation time will ensure that any enemy will cease to exist.

कालः time अस्मि I am लोक worlds क्षय decay, dissolve कृत् act, deed for the sake of प्रवृद्ध: mighty, great लोकान् people समाहर्तुम destroying, dissolving प्रवृत्त: engaged, busy with ऋते unless, besides, without अपि even त्वाम् your न भविष्यन्ति not exist in the future, cease to exist सर्वे all ये who आविष्टित situated, surrounded, covered, enveloped प्रत्यनीकेषु hostile, hostility योधा: warrior, soldier

कल जहां बसती थी खुशियाँ आज है मातम वहां
वक़्त लाया था बहारे वक़्त लाया हे फ़िज़ा

वक़्त से दिन और रात वक़्त से कल और आज
वक़्त की हर शह ग़ुलाम वक़्त का हर शह पे राज

वक़्त की गर्दिश से हे चाँद तारो का मिज़ाज
वक़्त की ठोकर में है क्या हुकूमत का समाज

वक़्त की पाबन्द हैं आति जाति रौनके
वक़्त है फूलों की सेज वक़्त है काँटों का ताज

आदमी को चाहिये वक़्त से डर कर रहे

कौन जाने किस घड़ी वक़्त का बदले मिजाज़

Kal jahàà bastee thee khusiyaa aaj hai maatam vahàà
Waqt laayaa thaa bahaa Waqt laayaa hai phijaan

Waqt se din aur raat, Waqt se kal aur aaj
Waqt kee har shai gulaam Waqt kaa har shai pe raaj

Waqt kee gardish se hai, Chand taaro kaa mizaaj
Waqt kee ṭhokar me hai kya hukoomat kaa samaaj

Waqt ki paaband hai aatee jaatee raunake
Waqt hai phoolo kee sej Waqt hai kàànto kaa taaj

Aadami ko chaahiye waqt se ḍar kar rahe
Kaun jaane kis ghaṛee waqt kaa badale mizaaj