Shloka 96
समयुज्यत कालेन भरतानां कुलोद्वह: । नृपश्रेष्ठट इस प्रकार भरतवंशका भार वहन करनेवाले शान्तनुनन्दन राजा भीष्म कालके अधीन हुए
samayujyata kālena bharatānāṁ kulodvahaḥ | nṛpaśreṣṭhaḥ tathā śāntanunandanaḥ rājā bhīṣmaḥ kālasyādhīno 'bhavat ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : En temps voulu, le plus éminent soutien de la lignée des Bharata — le meilleur des rois, Bhīṣma, fils de Śāntanu — fut rejoint par l’heure qui lui était destinée ; lui aussi passa sous la souveraineté du Temps. Le passage souligne cette méditation morale : nulle grandeur, nul vœu, nulle excellence royale ne peut se tenir hors de la loi universelle de l’impermanence.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the supremacy of Kāla (Time): even Bhīṣma—renowned for vows, virtue, and royal stature—ultimately becomes subject to Time. Ethically, it teaches humility and detachment, reminding readers that dharmic greatness does not exempt one from mortality and cosmic order.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that, in the natural course of events, Bhīṣma—the chief support of the Bharata lineage and son of Śāntanu—reaches the moment appointed by Time, indicating his approaching end and the inevitable transition that follows even for the greatest figures.