Shloka 91
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
ध्रुवं न व्यथसेउ्द्य त्वं धैर्यात् सत्यपराक्रम । को हि विश्वासमर्थेषु शरीरे वा शरीरभूत्
dhruvaṃ na vyathase ’dya tvaṃ dhairyāt satyaparākrama | ko hi viśvāsam artheṣu śarīre vā śarīrabhūt ||
قال بهيشما: «حقًّا إنك اليوم لا تتزعزع، بثبات الشجاعة، يا من تقوم بأسُك على الحق. فمن ذا يضع الثقة في الأموال، أو حتى في الجسد نفسه، وهو ليس إلا مركّبًا من عناصر فانية؟»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma praises steadiness rooted in truth and teaches non-reliance on transient supports: wealth and even the body are unstable, so one should ground conduct in dharma, courage, and inner firmness rather than in perishable externals.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhīṣma addresses his listener with counsel: he notes the listener’s present composure and reinforces it by reminding that neither possessions nor the body can be securely trusted, urging a dharmic, detached outlook.