Shloka 94
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
सूक्ष्माणां महतां चैव भूतानां परिपच्यताम् | “जो कालकी पकड़में आ चुका है, ऐसे किसी भी पुरुषके लिये उससे छूटनेका कोई उपाय नहीं है। सूक्ष्मसे सूक्ष्म और महान् भूत भी कालग्निमें पकाये जा रहे हैं, उनका भी उससे छुटकारा होनेवाला नहीं है | ९३ $ ।। अनीशस्याप्रमत्तस्य भूतानि पचत: सदा
bhīṣma uvāca | sūkṣmāṇāṃ mahatāṃ caiva bhūtānāṃ paripacyatām | anīśasyāpramattasya bhūtāni pacataḥ sadā ||
Bhīṣma said: “Even the subtlest and the greatest beings, as they are being ripened (consumed) by Time, find no means of escape. For Time—ever vigilant and irresistible—unceasingly ‘cooks’ all creatures.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Time (Kāla) is inescapable: it consumes all beings—subtle or great—without pause. Recognizing this, one should abandon arrogance and live with vigilance, restraint, and dharmic clarity.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction, Bhishma continues his counsel by emphasizing the overpowering nature of Time. He frames all existence as subject to Kāla’s continual ‘cooking’ (consumption), reinforcing a reflective, ethical outlook rather than attachment to worldly security.