Shloka 38
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
नित्यं कालपरीतस्य मम वा मद्विधस्य वा | बुद्धिरव्यसनमासाद्य भिन्ना नौरिव सीदति
nityaṁ kālaparītasya mama vā madvidhasya vā | buddhir avyasanam āsādya bhinnā naur iva sīdati ||
ビーシュマは言った。「それがこの私であれ、私に似た誰であれ——時（運命の力）に圧されるとき、その知は必ず苦境に落ち、裂けた舟のように力を失って沈んでゆく。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a capable person’s discernment can falter when overwhelmed by Kāla (destiny/time). The verse urges humility about human judgment and compassion toward those whose decisions collapse under misfortune.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and conduct, Bhīṣma reflects on the power of Time over human agency, using the image of a broken boat to describe how the mind loses steadiness when struck by calamity.