Shloka 63
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
ज्वलन्तः प्रतपन्तश्ष॒ कालेन प्रतिसंहता: । त्वं चैवेमां यदा भुक््त्वा पृथिवीं त्यक्षसे पुन:
jvalantaḥ pratapantaś ca kālena pratisaṃhatāḥ | tvaṃ caivemāṃ yadā bhuktvā pṛthivīṃ tyakṣase punaḥ ||
مشتعلةً محرِقةً، تُجمَعُ الكائناتُ كلُّها بمرورِ الزمانِ وتُرَدُّ إلى الفناء. وأنتَ كذلك—إذا ما تمتّعتَ بهذه الأرضِ وحكمتَها—فسوفَ تهجرُها من جديد.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes the sovereignty of Kāla (Time): all that blazes with power and prosperity is eventually gathered back into dissolution. Therefore, even a ruler who ‘enjoys’ the earth must remember that possession is temporary and should cultivate detachment and dharmic restraint.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction to the king, Bhīṣma continues a reflective teaching on the fate of power and worldly dominion. He reminds the listener that time inevitably ends all conditions, and that kingship over the earth is not permanent—one will inevitably have to relinquish it.