Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 29
एवमुकक्त्वा तु गाड़ेयो धर्मपुत्रं युधिष्ठिरम् । धृतराष्ट्रमथामन्त्रय काले वचनमत्रवीत्,धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिस्से ऐसा कहकर गंगानन्दन भीष्मने धृतराष्ट्रको पुकारकर उनसे यह समयोचित वचन कहा--
evam uktvā tu gāḍeyo dharmaputraṁ yudhiṣṭhiram | dhṛtarāṣṭram athāmantrya kāle vacanam abravīt ||
धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिर से ऐसा कहकर गंगानन्दन भीष्म ने फिर धृतराष्ट्र को बुलाया और उनसे अवसर के अनुरूप यह समयोचित वचन कहा।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the importance of kāla—speaking and acting in a manner appropriate to the time and circumstance. Bhīṣma, as an elder authority on dharma, frames counsel as something that must be timely and context-sensitive to be ethically effective.
After completing a preceding statement, Bhīṣma turns from Yudhiṣṭhira to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, formally calling him and delivering advice suited to the moment, continuing the Anuśāsana Parva’s instructional discourse.