Brāhmaṇa-kṛtya, Āśrama-niyama, and Dāna-prasaṃsā
Duties of the Brāhmaṇa, āśrama discipline, and praise of giving
श्रिया विहीनमासीनमक्षो भ्यामिव सागरम् | भवाभवज्ञं भूतानामित्युवाच पुरंदर:
bhīṣma uvāca | śriyā vihīnam āsīnam akṣobhyām iva sāgaram | bhavābhavajñaṃ bhūtānām ity uvāca purandaraḥ ||
Pada suatu ketika, raja Daitya Namuci—meski telah kehilangan kemuliaan kerajaannya—tetap duduk tanpa terusik, laksana samudra yang tak terguncang; sebab ia memahami hukum naik-turunnya makhluk seiring putaran waktu. Saat itu, Purandara, raja para dewa (Indra), mendatanginya dan berkata demikian.
भीष्म उवाच
True steadiness is shown when prosperity departs: the wise remain unshaken, understanding that worldly rise and fall occur by the course of time and are not grounds for inner collapse.
Namuci has lost his royal fortune yet remains calm like an unperturbed ocean; Indra (Purandara) comes to him and begins to speak, setting up a dialogue framed by Bhishma’s narration.