Shloka 59
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
सर्वे समरमासाद्य न श्रूयन्ते पराजिता: । सर्वे सत्यव्रतपरा: सर्वे कामविहारिण:
sarve samaram āsādya na śrūyante parājitāḥ | sarve satyavrataparāḥ sarve kāmavihāriṇaḥ ||
ते सर्व रणभूमीवर उतरल्यावर कधी पराभूत झाले—असे ऐकिवात नाही. ते सर्व सत्यव्रताचे पालन करणारे आणि सर्व इच्छेनुसार, स्वाधीनपणे विहार करणारे होते.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises an ideal type of person: undefeated in conflict, grounded in truth (satyavrata), and capable of enjoying life without losing self-mastery—suggesting that ethical integrity and inner discipline support strength and success.
Bhishma is describing a group (implied from the surrounding discourse) whose reputation is exemplary: tradition does not record them as ever being defeated in battle, and their character is marked by truthfulness and a free, confident mode of living.