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 |
ビーシュマは言った。「われが自らを抑えているがゆえに、汝はきっと己を大いなる者と思っているのだ。神々のインドラよ！ 今、汝はここに立ち、われを威圧せんとするかのように、言葉の矢で突き刺している。われは静かに座し、諸根を制している――まさにそのために、汝は己を優れた者と考え始めたのだ。」
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.