Shloka 59
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
सर्वे समरमासाद्य न श्रूयन्ते पराजिता: । सर्वे सत्यव्रतपरा: सर्वे कामविहारिण:
sarve samaram āsādya na śrūyante parājitāḥ | sarve satyavrataparāḥ sarve kāmavihāriṇaḥ ||
ビーシュマは言った。「彼らは皆、戦場に臨んでなお、敗れたと聞かれたことがない。皆、真実の誓いに篤く、正しき欲求に従って行き来し生きた—自由にして束縛なく、自らをよく治める者たちであった。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises an ideal type of person: undefeated in conflict, grounded in truth (satyavrata), and capable of enjoying life without losing self-mastery—suggesting that ethical integrity and inner discipline support strength and success.
Bhishma is describing a group (implied from the surrounding discourse) whose reputation is exemplary: tradition does not record them as ever being defeated in battle, and their character is marked by truthfulness and a free, confident mode of living.