Shloka 3
Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman
Manu’s Instruction
कालस्य मृत्योश्व तथा यद् वृत्तं तन्निबोध मे | यथा स तेषां संवादो यस्मिन् स्थानेडपि चाभवत्
kālasya mṛtyoś ca tathā yad vṛttaṃ tan nibodha me | yathā sa teṣāṃ saṃvādo yasmin sthāne ’pi cābhavat ||
بھیشم نے کہا— یُدھِشٹھِر! کال (وقت) اور مِرتیو (موت) کا جو حال ہے، وہ مجھ سے سنو۔ اُن کا مکالمہ کس طرح اور کس مقام پر ہوا، میں بیان کرتا ہوں۔
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral-philosophical instruction: understanding human duty and conduct requires recognizing the governing forces of Time and Death, which set limits on life and outcomes. Bhīṣma prepares Yudhiṣṭhira to learn through a didactic dialogue that situates ethics within impermanence.
Bhīṣma introduces an upcoming account about Kāla and Mṛtyu. He tells the listener that he will describe both the content of their conversation and the place/setting in which it occurred, signaling the start of an illustrative ancient episode.