Shloka 2
Brāhmaṇa-kṛtya, Āśrama-niyama, and Dāna-prasaṃsā
Duties of the Brāhmaṇa, āśrama discipline, and praise of giving
श्रिया विहीनमासीनमक्षो भ्यामिव सागरम् | भवाभवज्ञं भूतानामित्युवाच पुरंदर:,एक समयकी बात है, दैत्यराज नमुचि राजलक्ष्मीसे च्युत हो गये, तो भी वे प्रशान्त महासागरके समान क्षोभरहित बने रहे; क्योंकि वे कालक्रमसे होनेवाले प्राणियोंके अभ्युदय और पराभवके तत्त्वको जाननेवाले थे। उस समय देवराज इन्द्र उनके पास जाकर इस प्रकार बोले--
bhīṣma uvāca | śriyā vihīnam āsīnam akṣobhyām iva sāgaram | bhavābhavajñaṃ bhūtānām ity uvāca purandaraḥ ||
Bhishma said: “(Indra) spoke thus about him: ‘Though bereft of royal fortune, he sat unmoved—like the ocean that cannot be stirred—because he understood the rise and fall of beings as time unfolds.’ At that time, the lord of the gods, Indra, approached the Daitya-king Namuci and addressed him in this manner—”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True steadiness is shown when prosperity departs: the wise remain unshaken, understanding that worldly rise and fall occur by the course of time and are not grounds for inner collapse.
Namuci has lost his royal fortune yet remains calm like an unperturbed ocean; Indra (Purandara) comes to him and begins to speak, setting up a dialogue framed by Bhishma’s narration.