विमुक्ता धूतपाप्मानो निर्द्धन्द्धा निष्परिग्रहा: । मानार्हा मानिता नित्य ज्ञानविद्धिर्महात्मभि:
vimuktā dhūtapāpmāno nirdvandvā niṣparigrahāḥ | mānārhā mānitā nityaṁ jñānaviddhir mahātmabhiḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Brahmana yang utama terbebas dari segala belenggu dan tersucikan dari dosa. Pasangan-pasangan pertentangan tidak menggoyahkan batin mereka. Mereka menanggalkan segala kepemilikan dan keterikatan, dan layak menerima hormat. Para resi bijaksana dan jiwa-jiwa agung senantiasa memuliakan mereka.”
भीष्म उवाच
True excellence in a brāhmaṇa is defined by inner freedom: release from bondage, purification from sin, equanimity beyond dualities, and non-possessiveness. Such a person becomes naturally worthy of honor, and the genuinely wise honor them—not for status, but for realized virtue and knowledge.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues advising about the marks of spiritual and ethical greatness. Here he describes the characteristics of the foremost brāhmaṇas and notes how enlightened great-souled people consistently revere them.