Shloka 5
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
यच्च प्राज्ञो नरस्तात सात्त्विकीं वृत्तिमास्थित:
yacca prājño naras tāta sāttvikīṁ vṛttim āsthitaḥ
Bhishma bersabda: “Dan, wahai anakku, apa jua yang dipilih dan ditegakkan oleh orang bijaksana sebagai cara hidup sāttvika—yang murni, seimbang, dan menuju kejernihan—maka kecenderungan itulah menjadi asas kehidupan yang benar serta keteguhan etika.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that a wise person deliberately adopts sāttvika vṛtti—pure, balanced, clarity-driven conduct—as the foundation for dharmic living and moral stability.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing the listener (addressed as ‘tāta’) on principles of right conduct; here he begins a point about the wise person’s commitment to sāttvika behavior.