Kālavāda, a doctrine of time, emerges as one of the central themes in the Mahābhārata. Through this conceptual lens, time functions as a fundamental regulatory force governing the universe and determining varying manifestations of dharma (righteousness) across successive cosmic cycles (yugas). Crucially, within this system that Ya. Vassilkov calls “philosophy of heroic fatalism,” time transcends its conventional understanding and becomes a supreme arbiter of human destiny—an omnipotent force predetermining the outcomes of all actions.
This paper engages with the conference’s presidential theme of ‘freedom’ by examining multiple complex tensions between human agency and cosmic predetermination that permeate the Mahābhārata. The investigation centers on several fundamental questions: To what extent do epic heroes exercise genuine autonomy? What forces ultimately determine their actions and afterlife? And perhaps most critically, how might we understand the concept of freedom within the Mahābhārata’s distinctive cosmological framework?