Shloka 34
Bhaṅgāśvanopākhyāna — On comparative affection in strī–puruṣa union (भङ्गाश्वनोपाख्यानम्)
पुत्राणां द्वे शते ब्रह्मन् कालेन विनिपातिते । अहूं राजाभवं विप्र तत्र पूर्व शतं मम
putrāṇāṁ dve śate brahman kālena vinipātite | ahūṁ rājābhavaṁ vipra tatra pūrva-śataṁ mama ||
“பிராமணரே, காலத்தின் ஆற்றலால் என் இருநூறு புதல்வர்கள் வீழ்ந்தனர். மதிப்பிற்குரிய அந்தணரே, நான் ஒருகாலத்தில் அரசனாக இருந்தேன்; அப்பொழுது எனக்கு நூறு புதல்வர்கள் பிறந்தனர்.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the inevitability of Kāla (Time) in bringing about loss and death, even for kings with great lineage; it frames human prosperity and progeny as impermanent and subject to fate.
Bhishma, addressing a Brahmin, recounts his past: he once ruled as a king and had many sons, yet they were ultimately destroyed by Time; he begins a personal history that sets up the moral reflection to follow.