Shloka 29
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
काल:काले नयति मां त्वां च कालो नयत्ययम् । तेनाहं त्वं यथा नाद्य त्वं चापि न यथा वयम्
kālaḥ kāle nayati māṁ tvāṁ ca kālo nayaty ayam | tenāhaṁ tvaṁ yathā nādya tvaṁ cāpi na yathā vayam ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “Ang Panahon, sa sarili nitong takdang sandali, ang siyang nagdadala sa akin, at ang Panahong ito rin ang nagdadala sa iyo. Kaya ngayon, hindi ako gaya mo, at ikaw man ay hindi gaya namin—itinakda kami ng Panahon sa magkaibang kalagayan, ipinagkaloob sa iyo ang mabubuting araw, at ako’y hinihila tungo sa kasawian.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that Kāla (Time) governs human circumstances: prosperity and adversity are not fixed personal qualities but conditions produced by time. This encourages humility in success and patience in hardship, aligning ethical conduct with an awareness of impermanence.
Bhishma, speaking in the Shanti Parva discourse, contrasts his present condition with that of his listener, explaining that the difference is not merely personal merit or power but the turning of Time, which elevates one and diminishes another.