Shloka 42
भीष्मविक्रमदर्शनं तथा क्रौञ्चारुणव्यूहविधानम् | Bhīṣma’s Ascendancy and the Organization of the Krauñcāruṇa Formation
शमो5 दमस्तप: 3 शौच क्षान्तिरार्जवमेव" 5 च | ज्ञानं? विज्ञानमास्तिक्यं८ 5 ब्रह्मकर्म स्वभावजम्
śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ kṣāntir ārjavam eva ca | jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam ||
心之寂静、自制、苦行、清净、忍耐与正直；并且知识、证悟的辨识，以及对神圣秩序的信受——这些便是婆罗门依其天性而生的本分之业。
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse defines the brāhmaṇa’s dharma as a set of inner virtues—calm, restraint, austerity, purity, patience, honesty—supported by knowledge, realized discernment, and faith. It emphasizes that true duty is rooted in character and understanding, not merely external status.
In Bhīṣma Parva’s dharma instruction context, Arjuna articulates (as speaker in this citation) the qualities and natural duties associated with the brāhmaṇa disposition, presenting an ethical framework relevant even amid the pressures of the Kurukṣetra war.