प्रजाविसर्ग-तत्त्वनिर्णयः | Cosmogony of Elemental Emergence
Bharadvāja–Bhṛgu Dialogue
अद्यैव कुरु यच्छेयो मा त्वां कालो5त्यगादयम् । अकृतेष्वेव कार्येषु मृत्युर्वैं सम्प्रकर्षति
adyaiva kuru yac chreyo mā tvāṁ kālo 'tyagād ayam | akṛteṣv eva kāryeṣu mṛtyur vai samprakarṣati ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Kaya gawin mo na ngayong araw ang tunay na para sa ikabubuti mo. Huwag mong hayaang lumampas ang panahong ito; sapagkat habang ang mga gawain ay hindi pa natatapos, tunay na hinihila ng Kamatayan ang tao palayo.”
भीष्म उवाच
One should not postpone what is truly beneficial (śreyaḥ). Time is uncertain, and death can seize a person while duties remain unfinished; therefore act promptly in accordance with dharma.
In the Shanti Parva’s instructional setting, Bhishma continues his counsel by urging immediate performance of welfare-producing duties, warning that Kāla (time) may slip away and Mṛtyu (death) may carry one off before one’s intended works are completed.