Shloka 25
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
मा च ते5भूत् स्वभावो5यमिति ते देवपुड्भव । ईश्वर: सर्वभूतानां विक्रमेण जितो बलातू
mā ca te 'bhūt svabhāvo 'yam iti te devapuṅgava | īśvaraḥ sarvabhūtānāṁ vikrameṇa jito balāt ||
Bhīṣma bersabda: “Wahai yang utama antara para dewa, jangan biarkan tabiat demikian timbul dalam dirimu—jangan menyangka, ‘Dengan kekuatan dan keberanianku aku telah menundukkan Tuhan segala makhluk.’ Penguasa Tertinggi atas semua yang bernyawa tidaklah benar-benar dapat ditaklukkan oleh daya dan keperkasaan semata-mata.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and heroism should not breed arrogance: the Lord who governs all beings is not genuinely ‘conquered’ by brute strength. The verse warns a divine ruler to remain humble and to recognize a higher sovereignty beyond personal prowess.
Bhishma addresses a ‘foremost of the gods’ (devapuṅgava, typically Indra) and cautions him against the thought that he has subdued the supreme Lord merely through his own might. It is a moral-theological correction aimed at restraining pride after apparent victory.