Shloka 16

ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana

River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor

Devanagari script

श्रैष्क्यं प्राप्प स्वजातीनां महाभोगाननुत्तमान्‌ | ह्ृतस्वरत्नराज्यस्त्वं ब्रूहि कस्मान्न शोचसि

Transliteration

śraiṣkyaṃ prāpya svajātīnāṃ mahābhogān anuttamān | hṛtasvaratnarājyas tvaṃ brūhi kasmān na śocasi ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“你曾在族人之中居于最尊之位，享受无与伦比的盛大福乐；如今珠宝与国土尽被夺去。告诉我——你为何不悲？”

Word by Word

• {'śraiṣkyam': 'pre-eminence, the highest/foremost status', 'prāpya': 'having attained, having obtained', 'svajātīnām': 'of one’s own people/kinsmen/caste-group', 'mahābhogān': 'great enjoyments, abundant pleasures, worldly prosperities', 'anuttamān': 'unsurpassed, excellent beyond compare', 'hṛta': 'taken away, stolen, deprived', 'svara': 'jewels/treasures (as in ‘ratna’)

• here part of a compound indicating valuables', 'ratna': 'gem, jewel', 'rājyaḥ / rājya': 'kingdom, sovereignty, royal power', 'tvam': 'you', 'brūhi': 'tell (me), speak', 'kasmāt': 'why? from what cause?', 'na': 'not', 'śocasi': 'you grieve, you lament'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• svajātīnāṃ (one’s own kinsmen/people)
• ratna (jewels/treasures)
• rājya (kingdom)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames an ethical inquiry into non-attachment: even after losing sovereignty and wealth, a wise person may remain unshaken. Bhishma’s question invites reflection on the grounds of true stability—whether one’s well-being depends on external possessions or on inner understanding of dharma and impermanence.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Shanti Parva’s instructional dialogue, Bhishma addresses a person who once held the highest standing among his people and enjoyed great prosperity, but has now been deprived of jewels and kingdom. Bhishma challenges him to explain his lack of sorrow, setting up a teaching on composure, values, and the right response to loss.