Shloka 49
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
तानिदानीं न पश्यामि यैर्भुक्तेयं पुरा मही । जिन लोगोंने पहले वृक्ष, ओषधि, रत्न, जीव-जन्तु, वन और खानोंसहित इस सारी पृथ्वीका उपभोग किया है, उन सबको मैं इस समय नहीं देखता हूँ ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | tān idānīṃ na paśyāmi yair bhukteyaṃ purā mahī | pṛthur ailomayo bhīmo narakaḥ śambaras tathā | kālenābhyāhatāḥ sarve kālo hi balavattaraḥ |
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “Ngayon ay hindi ko na nakikita ang mga dating nagtamasa at naghari sa daigdig na ito. Sina Pṛthu, si Purūravas na anak ni Ilā, si Maya, si Bhīma, si Naraka, at si Śambara—lahat sila’y tinamaan at ibinagsak ng Panahon; sapagkat ang Panahon ang higit na makapangyarihan.” Sa pagninilay na ito, itinuturo ni Bhīṣma na kahit ang pinakamatitinding pinuno at nilalang ay naglalaho, upang turuan ang pagbitaw sa paghahari at pagmamataas, at idiin na ang tunay na dapat kapitan ay ang dharma, hindi ang panandaliang kapangyarihan.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the greatest rulers and mighty beings who once possessed the earth are no longer seen; Time overpowers all. Therefore one should not be intoxicated by power or possession, but live aligned with dharma, knowing sovereignty and worldly enjoyment are transient.
In Śānti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on governance and dharma. Here he illustrates his counsel by listing renowned ancient figures who once dominated the world but were all carried away by Time, emphasizing the inevitability of decline and death.