Shloka 556
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
कालेनाभ्याहता: सर्वे कालो हि बलवत्तर: | पृथु
bhīṣma uvāca | kālenābhyāhatāḥ sarve kālo hi balavattaraḥ | pṛthuḥ, ilānandanaḥ purūravāḥ, mayaḥ, bhīmaḥ, narakāsuraḥ, śambarāsuraḥ, aśvagrīvaḥ, pulomā, svarbhānuḥ, amitadhvajaḥ, prahrādaḥ, namuciḥ, dakṣaḥ, vipracittiḥ, virocanaḥ, hīniṣevaḥ, suhotraḥ, bhūrihā, puṣpavān, vṛṣaḥ, satyeṣuḥ, ṛṣabhaḥ, bāhuḥ, kapilāśvaḥ, virūpakaḥ, bāṇaḥ, kārtasvaraḥ, vahniḥ, viśvarṃṣṭaḥ, nairṛtiḥ, saṃkocaḥ, varītākṣaḥ, varāhāśvaḥ, ruciprabhaḥ, viśvajit, pratirūpaḥ, vṛṣāṇḍaḥ, viṣkaraḥ, madhuḥ, hiraṇyakaśipuḥ, kaiṭabhaḥ—ete tathā anye bahavo daityadānavarākṣasāḥ sarve ’smin pṛthivyāḥ svāmino bhūtvā gatāḥ | pūrve ca atipūrve caite proktāḥ tathā anye ’neke daityarājā dānavarājā anye ca nṛpāḥ yeṣāṃ nāmāni vayaṃ śṛṇumaḥ, kālena pīḍitāḥ sarve ’sāṃ pṛthivīṃ tyaktvā gatāḥ; yataḥ kāla eva sarvabalavān iti ||
毗湿摩说道：“一切都被时间击倒，因为时间确是更强者。普利图；伊拉之子普鲁罗婆娑；摩耶；毗摩；那罗迦阿修罗；商婆罗阿修罗；阿湿婆格利瓦；普罗摩；斯瓦尔婆奴；阿弥陀幢；般罗诃罗陀；那牟支；达刹；毗钵罗支底；毗罗遮那；希尼舍婆；苏霍特罗；布胡利诃；普湿婆梵；弗里沙；萨提耶舒；利沙婆；婆呼；迦毗罗阿湿婆；毗卢波迦；婆那；迦尔塔斯瓦罗；婆诃尼；毗湿瓦尔姆什塔；奈利利提；桑拘遮；婆利塔克沙；婆罗诃阿湿婆；卢支普罗婆；毗湿瓦吉特；波罗提卢波；弗里沙安陀；毗湿迦罗；摩度；希兰尼亚迦湿布；以及凯塔婆——这些人，以及许多其他的代底耶、达那婆与罗刹，皆曾为此大地之主。那些更早的、乃至更古的时代——上面所列者与无数代底耶王、达那婆王，以及我们至今仍听闻其名的种种人间君主——都被时间所逼迫，尽皆离去，舍弃此地；因为唯有时间最为强大。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That Time (kāla) surpasses all strength: even the greatest rulers—divine, demonic, and human—lose sovereignty and must depart. Therefore one should abandon arrogance about power and cultivate humility and detachment.
Bhishma, instructing in Shanti Parva, cites a long catalogue of famed ancient rulers and mighty beings who once possessed the earth but were all overcome by Time, reinforcing his counsel about the transience of worldly dominion.