Shloka 55
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
दैत्येन्द्रा दानवेन्द्राश्न॒ यांक्षान्याननुशुश्रुम । बहव: पूर्वदैत्येन्द्रा: संत्यज्य पृथिवीं गता:
daityendrā dānavendrāś ca yakṣān anyān anuśuśruma | bahavaḥ pūrvadaityendrāḥ saṃtyajya pṛthivīṃ gatāḥ ||
ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു— “ദൈത്യാധിപന്മാരെയും ദാനവാധിപന്മാരെയും മറ്റു യക്ഷന്മാരെയും കുറിച്ചും ഞങ്ങൾ കേട്ടിട്ടുണ്ട്. മുൻകാലത്തെ അനേകം ദൈത്യരാജാക്കന്മാർ ഈ ഭൂമിയെ ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച് കടന്നുപോയി.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the greatest and most formidable rulers—whether Daityas, Dānavas, or Yakṣas—do not retain earthly power; all eventually depart. The verse supports an ethical stance of detachment from sovereignty and pride, urging a dharmic perspective grounded in impermanence.
Bhīṣma, instructing on right conduct and the nature of worldly power, cites traditional accounts: many ancient mighty beings and kings once ruled but ultimately left the earth. He uses this recollection to frame counsel about the limits of power and the inevitability of death.