Shloka 86
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
पुनस्तान्येव कुर्वाणो दुःखै: कालेन युज्यते । पुरुष कालका सहयोग पाकर जिन कर्मोंको करनेसे सुखी होता है, कालका सहयोग न मिलनेसे पुनः उन्हीं कर्मोको करके वह दुःखका भागी होता है ।।
punas tāny eva kurvāṇo duḥkhaiḥ kālena yujyate | puruṣaḥ kālakāḥ sahayogaṁ prāpya jinakarmāṇi kurvan sukhī bhavati, kālasya sahayogaṁ na labdhvā punaḥ tāny eva karmāṇi kurvan sa duḥkhasya bhāgī bhavati || na ca kālena kālajñaḥ spṛṣṭaḥ śocitum arhati |
毗湿摩教诲：同样的行为，因“时”（时间、时势）的扶持不同，竟可结出相反的果报。人在因缘与时机相宜时行某些事，便可得乐；而若失去同一“时”的相应，再行同样之事，反而可能分受其苦。故明了“时”者，纵被其转折所触，也不应沉溺悲伤；因为结果并非仅由努力所主宰，还系于命运之季与境遇之合。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The same deed does not guarantee the same result: success and happiness depend not only on effort but also on Kāla (timing/circumstance). Therefore, a wise person who understands the workings of Time should maintain composure and not grieve when outcomes turn adverse.
In the Śānti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and practical statecraft of life. Here he explains how changing circumstances can reverse the fruits of actions, urging the listener to cultivate discernment about timing and to avoid sorrow when Time brings hardship.