Shloka 9
अक्षरब्रह्मयोगः | Akṣara-Brahma-Yoga
The Yoga of the Imperishable Brahman
सुहन्मित्रार्युदासीनमध्यस्थद्वेष्यबन्धुषु । साधुष्वपि च पापेषु समबुद्धिर्विशिष्यते
suhṛn-mitrārya-udāsīna-madhyastha-dveṣya-bandhuṣu | sādhuṣv api ca pāpeṣu sama-buddhir viśiṣyate ||
Itinuturing na lalong dakila ang taong may pantay na paghatol sa mga may mabuting hangarin at mga kaibigan, sa mararangal at sa mga walang pakialam, sa mga neutral, sa mga kaaway, at maging sa mga kamag-anak; at nananatiling gayon din sa harap ng mabubuti at ng masasama.
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises sama-buddhi—equal-mindedness—as a superior quality: the ability to keep one’s judgment steady and impartial toward friends, enemies, neutrals, relatives, and toward the virtuous and the sinful, without being driven by attachment or aversion.
In the Bhīṣma Parva’s Gītā context, Arjuna is engaged in a dialogue about right conduct and inner discipline on the battlefield; this verse highlights the ethical ideal of impartiality and mental steadiness amid the tensions of war and personal relationships.