Shloka 673
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
संयते मयि नून॑ त्वमात्मानं बहु मन्यसे । देवेन्द्र! इस समय भयभीत करते हुए-से तुम यहाँ अपने वाग्बाणोंसे मुझे छेदे डालते हो। मैं अपनेको संयममें रखकर शान्त बैठा हूँ; इसीलिये अवश्य तुम अपनेको बहुत बड़ा समझने लगे हो
saṁyate mayi nūnaṁ tvam ātmānaṁ bahu manyase | devendra! asmin samaye bhayabhītam iva kṛtvā tvaṁ iha svaiḥ vāg-bāṇaiḥ māṁ chindasi | ahaṁ ātmānaṁ saṁyamya śāntaḥ upaviṣṭaḥ; tasmād eva nūnaṁ tvam ātmānaṁ bahu manyase |
Bhīṣma dit : «Parce que je me retiens, tu t’imagines sans doute d’une grandeur extrême. Ô Indra des dieux ! En cet instant tu te tiens ici comme pour m’intimider, me perçant de flèches de paroles. Je demeure assis, paisible, les sens maîtrisés ; et c’est précisément pour cela que tu as commencé à te croire supérieur.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Self-restraint and calmness can be misread by others as weakness, provoking arrogance; the verse warns against pride and highlights that sharp speech can be as harmful as physical weapons.
Bhishma addresses Devendra (Indra), rebuking him for trying to intimidate and ‘wound’ him with harsh, cutting words; Bhishma explains that he remains calm by deliberate restraint, and that this restraint has led Indra to overestimate his own superiority.