ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
विवेचने कृतात्मासि स्पृहणीयो विजानताम् | सर्वलोको हायं मन्ये बुद्धया परिगतस्त्वया
vivecane kṛtātmāsi spṛhaṇīyo vijānatām | sarvaloko hāyaṁ manye buddhayā parigatas tvayā ||
विवेचने कृतात्मासि स्पृहणीयो विजानताम् । सर्वलोको ह्ययं मन्ये बुद्ध्या परिगतस्त्वया ॥
भीष्म उवाच
True wisdom is marked by viveka (discernment) and kṛtātmatā (self-mastery). Such a person becomes exemplary to the learned and is capable of comprehending the nature of the world through refined intellect.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhishma addresses a learned interlocutor and offers a formal commendation: he recognizes the listener’s disciplined discernment and asserts that the person has grasped the world’s principles through intellect.