Shloka 44
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
अविश्वस्ते विश्वसिषि मन्यसे वाध्रुवे ध्रुवम् । नित्यं कालपरीतात्मा भवत्येवं सुरेश्वर
aviśvaste viśvasiṣi manyase vādhruve dhruvam | nityaṁ kālaparītātmā bhavaty evaṁ sureśvara deveśvara ||
毗湿摩说道：你把信任寄托在本不可信之物上，又将不稳之物当作稳固。然此并不足怪，噢诸天之主、神圣的统御者——凡内心被“时”（时间）所制者，便会不断陷入这般颠倒的判断。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not mistake the impermanent for permanent or the unreliable for reliable; when the mind is seized by Kāla (Time/fate), discernment becomes inverted, so one must cultivate clear judgment and detachment.
Bhishma addresses the lord of the gods (Indra), admonishing him for trusting unstable worldly power (a kingdom) and explaining that such error arises naturally when Time has taken hold of one’s inner self.