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
Disse Bhishma: “E, meu caro, tudo o que o homem sábio adota e em que permanece como conduta sāttvika—pura, equilibrada e voltada para a clareza—essa disposição torna-se o fundamento do viver correto e da firmeza ética.”
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.