Shloka 32
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
कालसे पीड़ित हुए मनुष्यको न विद्या, न तप, न दान, न मित्र और न बन्धु-बान्धव ही कष्टसे बचा पाते हैं ।।
Bhīṣma uvāca: kālena pīḍitān manuṣyān na vidyā na tapaḥ na dānaṃ na mitraṃ na bandhavo bāndhavāś ca duḥkhāt trātuṃ śaknuvanti. nāgāminam anarthaṃ hi pratighātaśatair api; śaknuvanti pratīvoḍhum ṛte buddhi-balān narāḥ.
毗湿摩说道：“当人被时所逼迫，学识、苦行、布施、朋友与亲族，都不能使其脱离痛苦。因为将至之祸，纵以百般反击亦难阻遏；唯有凭借辨识与智慧之力，人方能抵御。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
When Time (kāla) bears down, external supports—learning, austerity, charity, friends, and relatives—may fail; the reliable means to avert harm is buddhi-bala, the strength of clear discernment and intelligent action.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction in the Śānti Parva, he emphasizes to the listener that mere force or repeated counterattacks cannot stop an approaching disaster; only wise judgment and timely, intelligent measures can meaningfully resist it.