Shloka 55
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
दैत्येन्द्रा दानवेन्द्राश्न॒ यांक्षान्याननुशुश्रुम । बहव: पूर्वदैत्येन्द्रा: संत्यज्य पृथिवीं गता:
daityendrā dānavendrāś ca yakṣān anyān anuśuśruma | bahavaḥ pūrvadaityendrāḥ saṃtyajya pṛthivīṃ gatāḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Kami telah mendengar tentang para penguasa Daitya, para penguasa Dānava, dan juga Yakṣa yang lain. Banyak raja Daitya yang perkasa pada zaman dahulu, setelah meninggalkan bumi ini, telah berlalu.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the greatest and most formidable rulers—whether Daityas, Dānavas, or Yakṣas—do not retain earthly power; all eventually depart. The verse supports an ethical stance of detachment from sovereignty and pride, urging a dharmic perspective grounded in impermanence.
Bhīṣma, instructing on right conduct and the nature of worldly power, cites traditional accounts: many ancient mighty beings and kings once ruled but ultimately left the earth. He uses this recollection to frame counsel about the limits of power and the inevitability of death.