Shloka 993
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
इति कालेन द्वियतां प्रलाप: श्रूयते नृणाम् “अरे! अभी-अभी तो मैंने उसे देखा था। वह मर कैसे गया?” इस प्रकार कालसे अपहृत होनेवालोंके लिये अन्य मनुष्योंका प्रलाप सुना जाता है
iti kālena dviyatāṃ pralāpaḥ śrūyate nṛṇām — “are! abhī-abhī to mayā sa dṛṣṭaḥ. sa kathaṃ mṛtaḥ?” iti prakāraḥ kālena apahṛta-bhūtānāṃ kṛte anyaiḥ manuṣyaiḥ pralāpaḥ śrūyate
Bhīṣma diz: Assim, com o correr do tempo, ouve-se o lamento de dois gumes das pessoas: “Ai de mim! Eu o tinha visto há um instante—como morreu?” Tais clamores são ouvidos dos outros por aqueles que o Tempo arrebatou de súbito, revelando a rapidez e a inevitabilidade da morte.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Time (Kāla) inevitably and suddenly takes beings away; therefore one should cultivate steadiness, reduce attachment, and live with dharmic clarity rather than assuming permanence.
Bhishma describes a common human reaction to unexpected death—people lament, ‘I just saw him; how did he die?’—to illustrate how swiftly Time overturns ordinary expectations.