Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 743
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
कि कत्थसे मां कि च त्वं कालेन निरपत्रप: । इन्द्र! हम कैसे हैं
kiṁ katthase māṁ kiṁ ca tvaṁ kālena nirapatrapaḥ | indra! vayaṁ kīdṛśāḥ sma iti tvam eva suṣṭhu jānāsi | vāsava! ahaṁ tvāṁ bhṛśaṁ jānāmi; tathāpi tvaṁ lajjāṁ tilāñjaliṁ dattvā mama purato vṛthā ātmaślāghāṁ kim iti karoṣi | vastutaḥ kāla eva etat sarvaṁ kārayati |
ビーシュマは言った。「なぜお前は私の前で誇り立てるのか。なぜお前は—時（カーラ）に駆り立てられ、恥を知らずに—そのような言葉を吐くのか。おおインドラよ、我らがいかなる者かはお前がよく知っている。おおヴァーサヴァよ、私もまたお前をつぶさに知っている。それでもお前は慎みを捨て、私の前でむなしい自讃にふける。まことに、これらすべてを起こさせるのは時（カーラ）ただ一つだ。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Pride and self-glorification are ethically hollow; one should retain modesty and recognize that outcomes are often driven by Kāla (Time/fate), not merely personal prowess.
Bhishma rebukes Indra for boasting. He reminds Indra that both know each other’s true nature and that Indra’s shameless self-praise is pointless, because the larger force of Time is what is bringing events to pass.