Shloka 98
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
इदमद्य करिष्यामि श्वः कर्तास्मीति वादिनम्
idam adya kariṣyāmi śvaḥ kartāsmīti vādinam
Bhīṣma sprach: Man soll dem nicht trauen, der immer wieder verkündet: „Heute werde ich dies tun; morgen werde ich es tun“—denn solches Gerede schiebt die Pflicht auf und schwächt den Entschluss. Die ethische Lehre ist, mit Beständigkeit und zur rechten Zeit zu handeln, statt sich hinter wiederholten Versprechen künftigen Tuns zu verbergen.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not postpone dharma or necessary action by repeatedly promising “today” and “tomorrow.” Ethical life requires prompt, steady execution rather than habitual delay and empty assurances.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on right conduct. Here he criticizes the habit of continual postponement—someone who keeps saying they will act today or tomorrow—highlighting the moral weakness of procrastination.