Shloka 106
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
काल पश्यति सुव्यक्ते पाणावामलकं यथा । कालचारित्रतत्त्वज्ञ: सर्वशास्त्रविशारद:
kālaṁ paśyati suvyakte pāṇāv āmalakaṁ yathā | kālacāritra-tattvajñaḥ sarvaśāstra-viśāradaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Engkau melihat Kala dengan kejernihan sempurna, laksana buah āmalaka yang terletak di telapak tangan. Engkau mengetahui hakikat dan laku Kala, serta mahir dalam seluruh śāstra.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True wisdom is portrayed as direct, unmistakable insight into kāla (Time)—its nature and its workings—supported by mastery of śāstra; such clarity is as obvious as seeing an āmalaka fruit in one’s palm.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Bhīṣma praises the listener’s spiritual-intellectual stature, saying that the person understands Time’s operations clearly and is learned in the authoritative teachings.