Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 29
एवमुकक्त्वा तु गाड़ेयो धर्मपुत्रं युधिष्ठिरम् । धृतराष्ट्रमथामन्त्रय काले वचनमत्रवीत्,धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिस्से ऐसा कहकर गंगानन्दन भीष्मने धृतराष्ट्रको पुकारकर उनसे यह समयोचित वचन कहा--
evam uktvā tu gāḍeyo dharmaputraṁ yudhiṣṭhiram | dhṛtarāṣṭram athāmantrya kāle vacanam abravīt ||
Having spoken thus, Bhīṣma—the son of the Gaṅgā—addressed Dharma’s son Yudhiṣṭhira. Then, summoning Dhṛtarāṣṭra, he spoke words timely to the occasion—counsel meant to guide conduct in accordance with dharma at that critical moment.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the importance of kāla—speaking and acting in a manner appropriate to the time and circumstance. Bhīṣma, as an elder authority on dharma, frames counsel as something that must be timely and context-sensitive to be ethically effective.
After completing a preceding statement, Bhīṣma turns from Yudhiṣṭhira to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, formally calling him and delivering advice suited to the moment, continuing the Anuśāsana Parva’s instructional discourse.