Shloka 13
Vītahavya’s Attainment of Brāhmaṇya (Vītahavya–Vipratva) | वीतहव्यस्य ब्राह्मण्यप्राप्तिः
तं च प्राप्य चिरं काल॑ तत्रैव परिवर्तते | ततश्चतुःशते काले श्रोत्रियो नाम जायते । श्रोत्रियत्वे चिरं काल॑ तत्रैव परिवर्तते
taṃ ca prāpya ciraṃ kālaṃ tatraiva parivartate | tataś catuḥśate kāle śrotriyo nāma jāyate | śrotriyatve ciraṃ kālaṃ tatraiva parivartate |
Bhishma disse: “Tendo alcançado esse estado (essa forma de nascimento), por longo tempo ele continua a girar ali mesmo, nascendo e morrendo repetidas vezes na mesma condição. Então, quando quatrocentos anos se completam, nasce numa família de brâmanes como um śrotriya—um conhecedor do Veda; e mesmo nesse estatuto de śrotriya, por muito tempo continua a circular dentro dessa mesma esfera de existência.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Karmic evolution is gradual: one may remain long within a given mode of existence, and only after time and maturation of merit does one attain a higher birth—here, the status of a śrotriya Brāhmaṇa—yet even that status involves continued saṃsāric movement unless supported by sustained dharmic conduct and deeper realization.
Bhīṣma is describing a being’s post-action trajectory through saṃsāra: after reaching a certain birth, he keeps revolving there for a long time; after a span described as four hundred years, he is born into a Brāhmaṇa family as a śrotriya (Veda-knower) and continues to circulate within that condition for a long time.