Shloka 883
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
प्रतिसंहृत्य संरम्भमित्युवाच शतक्रतु: । बलिके ऐसा कहनेपर सहस्रनेत्रधारी पाकशासन शतक्रतु भगवान् इन्द्रने अपने क्रोधको रोककर इस प्रकार कहा--
pratisaṃhṛtya saṃrambham ity uvāca śatakratuḥ | balike etad ākarṇya sahasranetradhārī pākaśāsanaḥ śatakratuḥ bhagavān indraḥ krodhaṃ niyamya evam uvāca ||
Ayant contenu l’élan de sa colère, Śatakratu (Indra) prit la parole. Entendant les mots de Bali, le seigneur aux mille yeux—Pākaśāsana, le grand Indra—réprima sa fureur et répondit ainsi.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds ethical restraint: even a powerful ruler like Indra should first withdraw agitation and control anger before speaking. It implies that dharmic speech arises from self-mastery, not from impulsive wrath.
In Bhishma’s narration, Bali has said something that could provoke Indra. Indra, described with his epithets (Śatakratu, Sahasranetra, Pākaśāsana), suppresses his anger and begins a measured reply, signaling a shift from confrontation to principled discourse.