Shloka 74
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
त्वमेव हीन्द्र वेत्थास्मान् वेदाहं त्वां च वासव
tvam eva hīndra vetthāsmān vedāhaṃ tvāṃ ca vāsava
Bhishma said: “O Indra, you alone truly know us; and I, O Vāsava, know you as well.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights discerning knowledge and mutual recognition: true understanding involves knowing the moral and personal reality of others, not merely names or appearances. Bhīṣma frames Indra as an authoritative knower, while also asserting his own clear recognition—suggesting that ethical judgment rests on insight into character and duty.
Bhīṣma addresses Indra directly (using the epithet Vāsava), stating that Indra knows ‘us’ and that Bhīṣma, in turn, knows Indra. The line functions as a pointed acknowledgment within a dialogue, establishing credibility and the relational context before or amid a discussion of dharma.