Shloka 29
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
काल:काले नयति मां त्वां च कालो नयत्ययम् । तेनाहं त्वं यथा नाद्य त्वं चापि न यथा वयम्
kālaḥ kāle nayati māṁ tvāṁ ca kālo nayaty ayam | tenāhaṁ tvaṁ yathā nādya tvaṁ cāpi na yathā vayam ||
ビーシュマは言った。「時はその時節に従って我を運び、同じ時が汝をも運ぶ。ゆえに今日、我は汝のごとくではなく、汝もまた我らのごとくではない——時は我らを異なる境遇に置き、汝には吉日を与え、我には不運を引き寄せるのだ。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that Kāla (Time) governs human circumstances: prosperity and adversity are not fixed personal qualities but conditions produced by time. This encourages humility in success and patience in hardship, aligning ethical conduct with an awareness of impermanence.
Bhishma, speaking in the Shanti Parva discourse, contrasts his present condition with that of his listener, explaining that the difference is not merely personal merit or power but the turning of Time, which elevates one and diminishes another.