Shloka 91
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
ध्रुवं न व्यथसेउ्द्य त्वं धैर्यात् सत्यपराक्रम । को हि विश्वासमर्थेषु शरीरे वा शरीरभूत्
dhruvaṃ na vyathase ’dya tvaṃ dhairyāt satyaparākrama | ko hi viśvāsam artheṣu śarīre vā śarīrabhūt ||
Sinabi ni Bhīṣma: “Tunay ngang ngayon ay hindi ka natitinag—dahil sa matatag na tapang, O ikaw na ang lakas-loob ay nakaugat sa katotohanan. Sapagkat sino ang makapagtitiwala sa mga ari-arian, o kahit sa katawan mismo, na isa lamang bagay na binuo ng mga sangkap na madaling mabulok?”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma praises steadiness rooted in truth and teaches non-reliance on transient supports: wealth and even the body are unstable, so one should ground conduct in dharma, courage, and inner firmness rather than in perishable externals.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhīṣma addresses his listener with counsel: he notes the listener’s present composure and reinforces it by reminding that neither possessions nor the body can be securely trusted, urging a dharmic, detached outlook.