Shloka 29
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
काल:काले नयति मां त्वां च कालो नयत्ययम् । तेनाहं त्वं यथा नाद्य त्वं चापि न यथा वयम्,काल ही मुझे कुसमयकी ओर ले जा रहा है और यह काल ही तुम्हें अच्छे दिन दिखा रहा है; इसलिये आज जैसे तुम हो, वैसा मैं नहीं हूँ और जैसे हमलोग हैं, वैसे तुम नहीं हो
kālaḥ kāle nayati māṁ tvāṁ ca kālo nayaty ayam | tenāhaṁ tvaṁ yathā nādya tvaṁ cāpi na yathā vayam ||
Bhishma said: Time, in its own season, carries me along, and this very Time carries you as well. Therefore, today I am not as you are, and you too are not as we are—Time has placed us in different conditions, granting you favorable days while drawing me toward adversity.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that Kāla (Time) governs human circumstances: prosperity and adversity are not fixed personal qualities but conditions produced by time. This encourages humility in success and patience in hardship, aligning ethical conduct with an awareness of impermanence.
Bhishma, speaking in the Shanti Parva discourse, contrasts his present condition with that of his listener, explaining that the difference is not merely personal merit or power but the turning of Time, which elevates one and diminishes another.