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 ||
毗湿摩说道：“请听我讲述关于迦罗（时间）与摩利底优（死亡）的故事。我将告诉你他们的对话如何展开，又是在何处发生。”
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.