Shloka 81
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
तेन त्वां मर्षये शक्र दुर्मर्षणतरस्त्वया । त॑ मां परिणते काले परीतं कालवह्लिना
tena tvāṁ marṣaye śakra durmarṣaṇataras tvayā | taṁ māṁ pariṇate kāle parītaṁ kālavahninā ||
Darum, o Śakra (Indra), ertrage ich dich—obwohl du noch schwerer zu ertragen bist. Doch wenn die bestimmte Zeit herangereift ist, werde auch ich umringt und vom Feuer der Zeit verzehrt werden.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣamā (forbearance) and the sobering truth that even the powerful are subject to Kāla (Time/Death). Endurance is presented as an ethical strength, while Kāla is the ultimate equalizer that overtakes all in due course.
Bhīṣma addresses Śakra (Indra), stating that he endures him despite his harshness, but reminds that when the appointed time matures, he himself will be overtaken by the consuming force of Time—implying the inevitability of decline and mortality under Kāla.