Shloka 1006

Devanagari script

जीवितं जीवलोकस्य कालेनागम्य नीयते । “धन और भोग नष्ट हो जाते हैं। स्थान और ऐश्वर्य छिन जाता है तथा इस जीव-जगतके जीवनको भी काल आकर हर ले जाता है

Transliteration

jīvitaṃ jīvalokasya kālenāgamya nīyate |

Translation

Bhīṣma sprach: Das Leben aller Wesen in dieser Welt der Lebenden wird fortgetragen, sobald die Zeit eintrifft. Reichtum und Genüsse vergehen; Rang und Herrschaft werden entrissen; und am Ende nimmt die Zeit selbst das Leben—darum soll man nicht an vergänglicher Macht und Besitz haften, sondern sich dem Dharma zuwenden und dem, was jenseits des Wandels Bestand hat.

Word by Word

• जीवितम्: life
• जीवितम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीवित (√जीव्)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• जीवलोकस्य: of the world of living beings
• जीवलोकस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीवलोक
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• कालेन: by Time
• कालेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• आगम्य: having come/arrived
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-√गम्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund), Prior action (having come)

• नीयते: is led away / is taken away
• Type: Verb
• Root: √नी
• Form: Lat, Present, Atmanepada (passive), Third, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Kāla (Time)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

All worldly attainments—wealth, pleasure, status, and even life—are impermanent and are ultimately taken by Kāla (Time). The ethical implication is to cultivate detachment and prioritize dharma and inner steadiness over transient power and possessions.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous living after the war. Here he emphasizes the inevitability of Time’s power, using it to counsel sobriety, humility, and a dharma-centered life.