Shloka 82
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
अयं स पुरुष: श्यामो लोकस्य दुरतिक्रम:
ayaṃ sa puruṣaḥ śyāmo lokasya duratikramaḥ
ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഇവനാണ് ആ ശ്യാമവർണ്ണ പുരുഷൻ; ലോകത്തിന് അവനെ അതിക്രമിക്കാൻ കഴിയില്ല—അനിവാര്യൻ, അജേയൻ.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts the unsurpassable status of the ‘Puruṣa’: a reality so authoritative and foundational that the world cannot ‘cross’ or override him—implying that dharma and ethical order ultimately rest on a higher, inviolable principle.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction, Bhīṣma is describing a transcendent figure—identified by dark hue and by being ‘duratikrama’—to emphasize to the listener that there exists a supreme, unassailable ground of order beyond ordinary human power.