Shloka 81
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
तेन त्वां मर्षये शक्र दुर्मर्षणतरस्त्वया । त॑ मां परिणते काले परीतं कालवह्लिना
tena tvāṁ marṣaye śakra durmarṣaṇataras tvayā | taṁ māṁ pariṇate kāle parītaṁ kālavahninā ||
ゆえに、シャクラ（インドラ）よ、我はおまえを耐え忍ぶ——おまえはなお耐え難き者であろうとも。だが定められた時が熟すとき、我もまた時（カーラ）の火に囲まれ、焼き尽くされるのだ。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣamā (forbearance) and the sobering truth that even the powerful are subject to Kāla (Time/Death). Endurance is presented as an ethical strength, while Kāla is the ultimate equalizer that overtakes all in due course.
Bhīṣma addresses Śakra (Indra), stating that he endures him despite his harshness, but reminds that when the appointed time matures, he himself will be overtaken by the consuming force of Time—implying the inevitability of decline and mortality under Kāla.