ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
विवेचने कृतात्मासि स्पृहणीयो विजानताम् | सर्वलोको हायं मन्ये बुद्धया परिगतस्त्वया
vivecane kṛtātmāsi spṛhaṇīyo vijānatām | sarvaloko hāyaṁ manye buddhayā parigatas tvayā ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „In der Unterscheidung bist du selbstbeherrscht und unter den Wissenden bewundernswert. Ja, ich glaube, dass du mit deinem Geist diese ganze Welt erfasst hast.“
भीष्म उवाच
True wisdom is marked by viveka (discernment) and kṛtātmatā (self-mastery). Such a person becomes exemplary to the learned and is capable of comprehending the nature of the world through refined intellect.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhishma addresses a learned interlocutor and offers a formal commendation: he recognizes the listener’s disciplined discernment and asserts that the person has grasped the world’s principles through intellect.