Shloka 946
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
अनिवृत्तस्य कालस्य क्षयं प्राप्तो न मुच्यते । “कालपर किसीका भी वश नहीं चलता। वह सदा सावधान रहकर सम्पूर्ण भूतोंको पकाता रहता है। वह कभी लौटनेवाला नहीं है। ऐसे कालके अधीन हुआ प्राणी उससे छुटकारा नहीं पाता है
anivṛttasya kālasya kṣayaṁ prāpto na mucyate |
毗湿摩说道：凡落入永不回返之“时”的掌握者，终不能从其吞噬之力中解脱。时间不受任何人支配；它恒常警觉，使一切众生渐熟而复磨损。既然它从不回头，受其辖制的生命便无由逃脱。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Time (kāla) is irreversible and unconquerable; once a being falls under its consuming course, there is no escape. Therefore one should not postpone dharmic action, self-discipline, and right understanding, since delay is defeated by the certainty of change and decay.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on wisdom and conduct. Here he emphasizes the inescapability of Time as a moral reminder: human plans and power are limited, so one must live with vigilance and align life with dharma before Time carries everything toward decline.