Shloka 693
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
कालस्तु बलवान प्राप्तस्तेन तिष्ठसि वासव । अन्यथा संसारमें कौन ऐसा वीर है
kālas tu balavān prāptas tena tiṣṭhasi vāsava | anyathā saṃsāre me ko nāma vīraḥ, yo yuddhe kupito mama sammukhaṃ tiṣṭhet | indra! balavān kālo 'dṛṣṭaḥ mayi samākrāntaḥ, tasmāt tvaṃ mama sammukhe tiṣṭhasi ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Waktu—perkasa dan tidak tertahan—telah datang menimpaku; sebab itulah engkau, wahai Vāsava (Indra), mampu berdiri di hadapanku. Jika tidak, siapakah di dunia ini yang cukup wira untuk tetap bertahan di depanku dalam pertempuran ketika aku murka? Indra, Waktu yang kuat—takdir yang tidak kelihatan—telah menyerangku; maka engkau berdiri di hadapanku.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the greatest warrior’s power is ultimately bounded by Kāla (Time) and adṛṣṭa (unseen destiny). The verse frames ethical humility: human prowess should not become arrogance, because outcomes are governed by forces beyond personal strength.
Bhīṣma addresses Indra (Vāsava), asserting that Indra can face him only because Time/destiny has already overtaken Bhīṣma. He emphasizes his former invincibility in battle and attributes the present reversal to the overpowering arrival of Kāla.