Shloka 50
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
अश्वग्रीव: पुलोमा च स्वर्भानुरमितध्वज: । प्रह्नादो नमुचिर्दक्षो विप्रचित्तिविरोचन:
aśvagrīvaḥ pulomā ca svarbhānur amitadhvajaḥ | prahrādo namucir dakṣo vipracittivirocanaḥ ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Aśvagrīva, Pulomā, Svarbhānu mit unfehlbarem Banner, Prahrāda, Namuci, Dakṣa, Vipracitti und Virocana—sie gehören zu den hervorgehobenen Asura-Gestalten, die hier aufgezählt werden.“ Im ethischen Rahmen der Śānti-Lehre wirkt der Vers als Katalog mächtiger Gegenspieler und erinnert daran, dass Macht und Ruhm selbst denen zufallen können, die dem Dharma entgegenstehen, und dass wahres Heil in rechter Lebensführung liegt, nicht in bloßer Stärke.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse, as part of a larger Śānti Parva exposition, underscores that worldly power and celebrated names can belong to forces opposed to dharma; ethical discernment values right conduct over mere might or fame.
Bhīṣma is listing notable asura/dānava figures in an enumerative passage, naming several prominent beings as part of a broader discussion that contextualizes power, conflict, and moral order.