Shloka 743
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
कि कत्थसे मां कि च त्वं कालेन निरपत्रप: । इन्द्र! हम कैसे हैं
kiṁ katthase māṁ kiṁ ca tvaṁ kālena nirapatrapaḥ | indra! vayaṁ kīdṛśāḥ sma iti tvam eva suṣṭhu jānāsi | vāsava! ahaṁ tvāṁ bhṛśaṁ jānāmi; tathāpi tvaṁ lajjāṁ tilāñjaliṁ dattvā mama purato vṛthā ātmaślāghāṁ kim iti karoṣi | vastutaḥ kāla eva etat sarvaṁ kārayati |
毗湿摩说道：“你为何在我面前夸耀？又为何在时劫的驱迫之下，竟无耻地说出这等话？噢因陀罗，你最清楚我们是何等之人。噢婆娑婆，我也彻底了解你；然而你却抛却羞惭，在我面前作无谓的自我颂扬。其实，唯有时间（时劫）使这一切发生。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Pride and self-glorification are ethically hollow; one should retain modesty and recognize that outcomes are often driven by Kāla (Time/fate), not merely personal prowess.
Bhishma rebukes Indra for boasting. He reminds Indra that both know each other’s true nature and that Indra’s shameless self-praise is pointless, because the larger force of Time is what is bringing events to pass.