Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 25
ततश्च तं बली भीष्म: प्रगृह्म विपुलं भुजम् उद्यन्मेघस्वरो वाग्मी काले वचनमत्रवीत्,फिर प्रवचनकुशल बलवान भीष्मने युधिष्ठिरकी विशाल भुजा हाथमें लेकर मेघके समान गम्भीर वाणीमें यह समयोचित वचन कहा--
tataś ca taṃ balī bhīṣmaḥ pragṛhya vipulaṃ bhujam udyanmeghasvaro vāgmī kāle vacanam abravīt |
Then mighty Bhīṣma, taking hold of his broad arm, spoke at the proper moment. Eloquent and deep-voiced like a rising thundercloud, he addressed him with timely words—setting the ethical frame for what should be done in accordance with dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical importance of kāla—speaking and advising at the right time. Bhīṣma’s timely, measured counsel models how dharma is communicated: with restraint, authority, and sensitivity to circumstance.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Bhīṣma physically takes Yudhiṣṭhira by the arm and begins to speak. The gesture and the description of Bhīṣma’s thunder-like voice signal a solemn transition into serious instruction on conduct and duty.