Shloka 826
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
बद्ध्वा तिष्ठति मां रौद्र: पशुं रशनया यथा । जैसे मनुष्य रस्सीसे किसी पशुको बाँध लेता है, उसी प्रकार यह भयंकर कालपुरुष मुझे अपने पाशमें बाँधे खड़ा है
baddhvā tiṣṭhati māṁ raudraḥ paśuṁ raśanayā yathā |
Bhishma said: “Just as a man binds an animal with a rope and keeps it standing fast, so the dreadful Person of Time has bound me in his noose and holds me here.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Time (Kāla) is irresistible and binds all beings; recognizing this fosters humility, detachment, and urgency to uphold dharma while one still has the opportunity.
Bhishma, speaking from his constrained condition, describes himself as held fast by the dreadful power of Time—like an animal tied with a rope—emphasizing that even great heroes are subject to mortality and cosmic law.