Shloka 20
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
“तुम्हारी राज्यलक्ष्मी नष्ट हो गयी। तुम अपने धन-वैभवसे हाथ धो बैठे। इतनेपर भी जो तुम्हें शोक नहीं होता है, यह दूसरोंके लिये बड़ा कठिन है। तीनों लोकोंका राज्य नष्ट हो जानेपर भी तुम्हारे सिवा दूसरा कौन जीवित रहनेके लिये उत्साह दिखा सकता है? ।। एतच्चान्यच्च परुषं ब्रुवन्तं परिभूय तम् । श्रुत्वा सुखमसम्भ्रान्तो बलिवैंरोचनो<ब्रवीत्
rājyalakṣmīr naṣṭā te; dhanavaibhavāt tvaṁ hīnaḥ. tathāpi yadi te śoko na bhavati, tad anyeṣāṁ mahad durghaṭam. trailokyarājyasya nāśe ’pi tvadṛte ’nyaḥ kaḥ prāṇadhāraṇāyotsāhaṁ darśayet? etac cānyac ca paruṣaṁ bruvantaṁ paribhūya tam, śrutvā sukham asambhrānto balir vairocano ’bravīt.
Bhishma said: “Your royal fortune has been destroyed; you have been stripped of wealth and splendor. Yet you do not grieve—this is something exceedingly hard for others to achieve. Even if sovereignty over the three worlds were lost, who besides you could still show the will to go on living? Hearing him speak these and other harsh words, and disregarding him, Bali Vairocana replied calmly, without agitation.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadiness of mind amid catastrophic loss: true inner strength is shown when one remains unshaken even after the collapse of power and prosperity. It also implies an ethical ideal of endurance (dhṛti) and composure, contrasting external ruin with internal resolve.
Bhishma recounts an episode about Bali Vairocana. Someone addresses Bali with harsh, humiliating words about the loss of his kingdom and wealth, marveling that he does not grieve. Bali hears the abuse and responds calmly, showing unperturbed composure.