Shloka 76
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
आदित्याश्रैव रुद्राश्न॒ साध्याश्न वसुभि: सह
ādityāś caiva rudrāś ca sādhyāś ca vasubhiḥ saha | śacīvallabha indra! pūrvaṃ yadā devāsura-saṅgrāmo 'bhavat tadā te su-smṛtaṃ bhaviṣyati | mayā ekenaiva samastā ādityā rudrāḥ sādhyā vasavaś ca marudgaṇāś ca parājitāḥ ||
ビーシュマは言った。「おおインドラ、シャチーに愛されし者よ。神々とアスラの戦が勃発した昔のことを、汝はきっとよく覚えていよう。その戦いにおいて我はただ一人で、アーディティヤ、ルドラ、サーディヤ、ヴァス、そしてマルトの群れのすべてを打ち破ったのだ。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the epic theme of extraordinary prowess and the authority of remembered precedent: Bhīṣma invokes a past cosmic conflict to establish credibility and emphasize how power, when concentrated in a single disciplined agent, can overturn even vast collectives—an implicit caution about underestimating a resolute individual.
Bhīṣma addresses Indra directly, reminding him of an earlier devas–asuras war and claiming that he alone defeated multiple classes of gods (Ādityas, Rudras, Sādhyas, Vasus, and Maruts), thereby asserting his own might and the reliability of his recollection.