Shloka 633
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
न शक्ष्यसि तदा शक्र नियन्तुं शोकमात्मन: । इन्द्र! वे सभी नरेश अपने तेजसे प्रज्वलित होनेवाले और प्रतापी थे
na śakṣyasi tadā śakra niyantuṃ śokam ātmanaḥ | indra! te sarve nareśāḥ sva-tejasā prajvalitāḥ pratāpinaś ca, kintu kālena teṣāṃ sarveṣāṃ saṃhāraḥ kṛtaḥ | tvaṃ yadā imāṃ pṛthivīm upabhujya punaḥ imāṃ tyakṣyasi, tadā śokaṃ niyantuṃ na śakṣyasi |
毗湿摩说道：“噢，释迦罗（因陀罗）啊，那时你将无法抑制心中的悲恸。那些君王皆以自身光辉炽然、威力雄强，然而时间将他们尽数毁灭。待你也享用此大地而终须再度舍弃之时，你将不能遏止你的哀伤。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the most radiant and powerful rulers are overcome by Kāla (Time). Therefore, sovereignty and worldly enjoyment are impermanent; one should cultivate restraint, detachment, and clear understanding so that inevitable loss does not overwhelm the mind with grief.
Bhīṣma addresses Indra (Śakra), warning him that many mighty kings once flourished but were destroyed by Time. He predicts that Indra too, after enjoying dominion over the earth, will have to relinquish it and will then struggle to control his sorrow—underscoring the transience of worldly rule.