Shloka 76
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
आदित्याश्रैव रुद्राश्न॒ साध्याश्न वसुभि: सह
ādityāś caiva rudrāś ca sādhyāś ca vasubhiḥ saha | śacīvallabha indra! pūrvaṃ yadā devāsura-saṅgrāmo 'bhavat tadā te su-smṛtaṃ bhaviṣyati | mayā ekenaiva samastā ādityā rudrāḥ sādhyā vasavaś ca marudgaṇāś ca parājitāḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“噢，因陀罗，舍脂所钟爱者！你必定清楚记得往昔诸天与阿修罗开战之时。在那场大战中，我独自一人战胜了全军——阿底提耶众、鲁陀罗众、萨陀耶众、婆苏众，以及成群的摩鲁特。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the epic theme of extraordinary prowess and the authority of remembered precedent: Bhīṣma invokes a past cosmic conflict to establish credibility and emphasize how power, when concentrated in a single disciplined agent, can overturn even vast collectives—an implicit caution about underestimating a resolute individual.
Bhīṣma addresses Indra directly, reminding him of an earlier devas–asuras war and claiming that he alone defeated multiple classes of gods (Ādityas, Rudras, Sādhyas, Vasus, and Maruts), thereby asserting his own might and the reliability of his recollection.