Shloka 1006
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
जीवितं जीवलोकस्य कालेनागम्य नीयते । “धन और भोग नष्ट हो जाते हैं। स्थान और ऐश्वर्य छिन जाता है तथा इस जीव-जगतके जीवनको भी काल आकर हर ले जाता है
jīvitaṃ jīvalokasya kālenāgamya nīyate |
Dijo Bhīṣma: La vida de todos los seres en este mundo viviente es arrebatada cuando llega el Tiempo. La riqueza y los placeres perecen; el rango y la soberanía son despojados; y al final incluso la vida misma es tomada por el Tiempo—por ello no debe uno aferrarse al poder y a las posesiones transitorias, sino orientarse hacia el dharma y hacia lo que perdura más allá del cambio.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
All worldly attainments—wealth, pleasure, status, and even life—are impermanent and are ultimately taken by Kāla (Time). The ethical implication is to cultivate detachment and prioritize dharma and inner steadiness over transient power and possessions.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous living after the war. Here he emphasizes the inevitability of Time’s power, using it to counsel sobriety, humility, and a dharma-centered life.