Shloka 64
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
मुज्चेच्छां कामभोगेषु मुज्चेमं श्रीभवं मदम्
muñcechchhāṁ kāmabhogeṣu muñcemāṁ śrībhavaṁ madam
Bhīṣma said: “Let go of craving for sensual enjoyments; abandon this pride that arises from prosperity and fortune.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse urges inner renunciation: give up craving for sense-pleasures and abandon the arrogance that wealth and success can produce. Ethical steadiness (dharma) is protected by self-restraint and humility rather than by indulgence or pride.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous conduct and the disciplines that lead to peace. Here he gives a concise admonition: detach from sensuality and from the intoxication of prosperity, both seen as obstacles to clear judgment and dharmic living.