Shloka 79
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
सटड्कशिखरा भग्ना: समरे मुर्थ्नि ते मया । कि नु शक््यं मया कर्तु कालो हि दुरतिक्रम:
ṣaṭaṅgaśikharā bhagnāḥ samare mūrdhni te mayā | ki nu śakyaṃ mayā kartuṃ kālo hi duratikramaḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Dalam pertempuran, di atas kepalamu telah aku hancurkan gunung-ganang yang penuh rabung dan puncak. Maka apakah yang dapat aku lakukan sekarang? Sesungguhnya Masa (kāla) sukar dilangkaui.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even extraordinary power and past victories cannot override kāla (Time/fate). The verse underscores human limitation and the ethical humility to recognize when outcomes are governed by forces beyond personal prowess.
Bhīṣma recalls his former might in war—shattering mountains upon an opponent—yet admits that in the present situation he cannot act as before, because the course of Time has become decisive and cannot be resisted.