Shloka 14
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
दैत्य न व्यथसे शौर्यादथवा वृद्धसेवया । तपसा भावितत्वाद् वा सर्वथैतत् सुदुष्करम्
bhīṣma uvāca | daitya na vyathase śauryād athavā vṛddhasevayā | tapasā bhāvitattvād vā sarvathaitat suduṣkaram ||
Bhīṣma dit : « Ô Daitya, pourquoi n’es-tu pas accablé en voyant la prospérité de ton ennemi ? Est-ce par ta vaillance, ou parce que tu as servi les anciens, ou parce que l’austérité a purifié ton être intérieur, si bien que tu ne t’affliges pas ? Pour les hommes ordinaires, une telle constance est, à tous égards, extrêmement difficile. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma highlights the rarity of true equanimity: not being shaken even when an adversary prospers. He points to possible sources of such steadiness—courage, disciplined respect for elders, and inner purification through tapas—implying that ethical formation and self-control are hard-won virtues.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction-oriented setting, Bhishma addresses a Daitya and marvels at his lack of distress upon witnessing an enemy’s rise. He probes the cause of this composure and remarks that such endurance is extremely difficult for ordinary people.