Shloka 973
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
सम्पीडयति य: कालो वृद्धि वार्धुषिको यथा । जैसे ऋण देनेवाला पुरुष व्याजका हिसाब जोड़कर ऋण लेनेवालोंको तंग करता है
sampīḍayati yaḥ kālo vṛddhi-vārdhuṣiko yathā |
Sebagaimana seorang pemberi pinjaman menghimpit peminjam dengan menghitung bunga dan kenaikan berlipat, demikian pula Kala menekan makhluk hidup dengan perhitungan yang tak kenal lelah—hari dan malam, bulan, sekejap, hingga ukuran-ukuran yang kian halus—membebani mereka tanpa henti.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Time is inexorable and continually diminishes life; like a lender adding interest, it keeps adding up moments and thereby burdens beings. The teaching encourages vigilance, detachment, and ethical discipline in the face of inevitable decay.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction during the Śānti Parva, he uses a social analogy familiar to listeners—an interest-taking moneylender—to explain how Kāla relentlessly ‘accounts’ for time-units and thereby afflicts all creatures.