Shloka 66
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
मां चेदभ्यागत: काल: सदा युक्तमतन्द्रित:
māṃ ced abhyāgataḥ kālaḥ sadā yuktam atandritaḥ
Bhīṣma said: “If the appointed Time (Death) should come upon me, it will find me ever disciplined and vigilant—steadfast in my resolve and free from negligence.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should live in constant preparedness for the inevitability of Time/Death—remaining disciplined (yukta) and vigilant (atandrita), so that one’s conduct does not collapse under fear or negligence when the final moment arrives.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhīṣma continues his counsel by expressing his inner readiness: even if Kāla approaches him, he will meet it with steady composure and alertness, emphasizing ethical self-mastery rather than anxiety.