Shloka 693
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
कालस्तु बलवान प्राप्तस्तेन तिष्ठसि वासव । अन्यथा संसारमें कौन ऐसा वीर है
kālas tu balavān prāptas tena tiṣṭhasi vāsava | anyathā saṃsāre me ko nāma vīraḥ, yo yuddhe kupito mama sammukhaṃ tiṣṭhet | indra! balavān kālo 'dṛṣṭaḥ mayi samākrāntaḥ, tasmāt tvaṃ mama sammukhe tiṣṭhasi ||
毗湿摩说道：“时间——强大而不可抗拒——已临到我身上；因此你，婆娑婆（因陀罗），才得以站在我面前。否则，在这世间，当我怒起临阵之时，谁还能算得上英雄，敢在我面前不退？因陀罗，强大的时间——那无形的命运——已袭击了我；所以你才站在我眼前。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the greatest warrior’s power is ultimately bounded by Kāla (Time) and adṛṣṭa (unseen destiny). The verse frames ethical humility: human prowess should not become arrogance, because outcomes are governed by forces beyond personal strength.
Bhīṣma addresses Indra (Vāsava), asserting that Indra can face him only because Time/destiny has already overtaken Bhīṣma. He emphasizes his former invincibility in battle and attributes the present reversal to the overpowering arrival of Kāla.