Shloka 111
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
आनुशंस्यं परो धर्मो हानुक्रोशश्व मे त्वयि । मोक्ष्यन्ते वारुणा: पाशास्तवेमे कालपर्ययात्
ānuśaṃsyaṃ paro dharmo hānukrośaś ca me tvayi | mokṣyante vāruṇāḥ pāśās taveme kālaparyayāt ||
La compassion et l’innocuité sont le dharma suprême ; et tu as de moi pleine faveur et sympathie. En temps voulu, ces lacets nés de Varuṇa qui te lient se relâcheront et te délivreront d’eux-mêmes.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma elevates ānuśaṃsya (benevolence/non-cruelty) and anukrośa (compassion) as the supreme dharma, implying that ethical greatness is measured by restraint from cruelty and active kindness toward others.
Bhishma consoles the addressed person, assuring them of his goodwill and stating that the Varuṇa-associated bonds (pāśas) restraining them will, with the passage and turning of time, naturally fall away and release them.