Shloka 883
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
प्रतिसंहृत्य संरम्भमित्युवाच शतक्रतु: । बलिके ऐसा कहनेपर सहस्रनेत्रधारी पाकशासन शतक्रतु भगवान् इन्द्रने अपने क्रोधको रोककर इस प्रकार कहा--
pratisaṃhṛtya saṃrambham ity uvāca śatakratuḥ | balike etad ākarṇya sahasranetradhārī pākaśāsanaḥ śatakratuḥ bhagavān indraḥ krodhaṃ niyamya evam uvāca ||
ক্রোধের উচ্ছ্বাস সংবরণ করে শতক্রতু বললেন। বলির কথা শুনে সহস্রনেত্র, পাকশাসন, ভগবান ইন্দ্র ক্রোধ দমন করে এইভাবে উত্তর দিলেন।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds ethical restraint: even a powerful ruler like Indra should first withdraw agitation and control anger before speaking. It implies that dharmic speech arises from self-mastery, not from impulsive wrath.
In Bhishma’s narration, Bali has said something that could provoke Indra. Indra, described with his epithets (Śatakratu, Sahasranetra, Pākaśāsana), suppresses his anger and begins a measured reply, signaling a shift from confrontation to principled discourse.