Shloka 51
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
ह्वीनिषेव: सुहोत्रश्न भूरिहा पुष्पवान् वृष: । सत्येषु#षभो बाहु: कपिलाश्वञी विरूपक:
hvīniṣevaḥ suhotraśna bhūrihā puṣpavān vṛṣaḥ | satyeṣuṣabho bāhuḥ kapilāśvañ ca virūpakaḥ ||
قال بهيشما: «(وفي تلك السلسلة/النسق) كان رجالٌ بأسماء وخصال شتّى—هْفِينِشِيفا، وسوهوتراشنا، وبْهُورِيها، وبوشْبَفان، وفْرِشا؛ وكذلك ساتْييشوشَبها، وباهو، وكَبِلاشْفا، وفيروبَكا.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as a genealogical enumeration: it emphasizes continuity of lineage and the remembrance of rulers/ancestors, a common Shānti-parvan method for grounding ethical and political instruction (dharma and rājadharma) in historical exemplars.
Bhīṣma is listing successive figures (likely kings or notable persons) within a lineage being discussed in this section of Śānti Parva, naming them in sequence as part of a broader account that supports instruction on conduct and governance.