Shloka 916
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
कर्तुमुत्सहते लोके दृष्टवा सम्प्रस्थितं जगत् । 'सत्यपराक्रमी वीर! तुम निश्चय ही धैर्यके कारण व्यथित नहीं होते हो। इस सम्पूर्ण जगत्को विनाशकी ओर जाते देखकर कौन शरीरधारी पुरुष धन-वैभव
kartum utsahate loke dṛṣṭvā samprasthitaṃ jagat | satyaparākramī vīra! tvaṃ niścayaṃ hi dhairyāt vyathito na bhavasi | asya sampūrṇasya jagato vināśāya gacchato dṛṣṭvā kaḥ śarīradhārī puruṣo dhana-vaibhavaṃ viṣaya-bhogān athavā svake śarīre 'pi viśvasituṃ śaknoti?
Bhīṣma dijo: «Oh héroe de verdadero poder, sin duda no te turbas, sostenido por un valor firme. Al ver que este mundo entero avanza hacia la destrucción, ¿qué hombre encarnado puede confiar en la riqueza y el esplendor, en los placeres de los sentidos o incluso en su propio cuerpo?»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes anityatā: since the world and the body are moving toward decay and destruction, reliance on wealth, pleasures, or even one’s own body is misguided; steadiness should rest on dharma and inner fortitude.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the listener in ethical and spiritual reflection, praising steadfast courage and urging detachment by pointing to the inevitable perishability of worldly prosperity and embodied life.