Shloka 101
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
उच्छाया विनिपातान्ता भावो5भाव: स एव च
ucchāyā vinipātāntā bhāvo 'bhāvaḥ sa eva ca
Bhīṣma berkata: “Segala yang naik pasti menuju jatuh; wujud dan ketiadaan, pada kesudahan, sesungguhnya sama pada akibatnya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes impermanence: whatever ascends or prospers inevitably ends in decline. Seeing that both ‘being’ and ‘non-being’ culminate in the same end supports vairāgya (detachment) and steadiness in dharma amid changing fortunes.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the foundations of peace after the war. This line functions as a reflective maxim within that instruction, steering the listener away from pride in success and despair in loss.