ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
शोककाले शुचो मा त्वं हर्षकाले च मा हृष:
śokakāle śuco mā tvaṃ harṣakāle ca mā hṛṣaḥ
بھیشم نے کہا: غم کے وقت غم میں نہ ڈوبو؛ اور خوشی کے وقت حد سے زیادہ سرشار نہ ہو۔
भीष्म उवाच
Maintain equanimity: neither collapse into sorrow during adversity nor become intoxicated with joy during prosperity. Ethical steadiness and self-mastery are presented as marks of a disciplined life aligned with dharma.
In the Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous conduct and inner discipline after the war. This line is part of his counsel on regulating the mind amid changing circumstances.