Shloka 14
प्रजाविसर्ग-तत्त्वनिर्णयः | Cosmogony of Elemental Emergence
Bharadvāja–Bhṛgu Dialogue
अद्यैव कुरु यच्छेयो मा त्वां कालो5त्यगादयम् । अकृतेष्वेव कार्येषु मृत्युर्वैं सम्प्रकर्षति
adyaiva kuru yac chreyo mā tvāṁ kālo 'tyagād ayam | akṛteṣv eva kāryeṣu mṛtyur vai samprakarṣati ||
जे खरे कल्याणकारी आहे ते आजच करून टाका; हा काळ तुमच्या हातातून निसटू देऊ नका. कारण कामे अपूर्णच राहतात आणि मृत्यु मनुष्याला ओढून घेऊन जातो.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should not postpone what is truly beneficial (śreyaḥ). Time is uncertain, and death can seize a person while duties remain unfinished; therefore act promptly in accordance with dharma.
In the Shanti Parva’s instructional setting, Bhishma continues his counsel by urging immediate performance of welfare-producing duties, warning that Kāla (time) may slip away and Mṛtyu (death) may carry one off before one’s intended works are completed.