Shloka 5
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
Devanagari script
यच्च प्राज्ञो नरस्तात सात्त्विकीं वृत्तिमास्थित:
Transliteration
yacca prājño naras tāta sāttvikīṁ vṛttim āsthitaḥ
Translation
ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—കൂടാതെ, പ്രിയപ്പെട്ടവനേ! ഏതു പ്രാജ്ഞനായ മനുഷ്യൻ സാത്ത്വികമായ വൃത്തിയെ ആശ്രയിച്ച് അതിൽ സ്ഥിരനായി നിലകൊള്ളുന്നുവോ—
Word by Word
यत्which/that (thing)
यत्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootयद्
FormNeuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
प्राज्ञःwise
प्राज्ञः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootप्राज्ञ
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
नरःman/person
नरः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootनर
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
तातO dear one / O son (term of address)
तात:
TypeNoun
Rootतात
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
सात्त्विकीम्sattvic, pertaining to sattva
सात्त्विकीम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootसात्त्विक
FormFeminine, Accusative, Singular
वृत्तिम्conduct, mode of life, disposition
वृत्तिम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootवृत्ति
FormFeminine, Accusative, Singular
आस्थितःhaving adopted/undertaken
आस्थितः:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootआ-स्था
Formक्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular
Speaker
भीष्म उवाच
Characters & Entities
B
BhīṣmaT
tāta (addressee, unnamed in this pāda)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that a wise person deliberately adopts sāttvika vṛtti—pure, balanced, clarity-driven conduct—as the foundation for dharmic living and moral stability.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing the listener (addressed as ‘tāta’) on principles of right conduct; here he begins a point about the wise person’s commitment to sāttvika behavior.