Shloka 109
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
निष्प्रीतिं नष्टसंतापमात्मानं त्वमुपाससे । सुहृदं सर्वभूतानां निर्वरे शान्तमानसम्,'जो हर्षसे रहित, संतापसे शून्य, सम्पूर्ण भूतोंका सुहृद, वैररहित और शान्तचित्त है, उस आत्माकी तुम उपासना करते हो
niṣprītiṁ naṣṭasantāpam ātmānaṁ tvam upāsase | suhṛdaṁ sarvabhūtānāṁ nirvairaṁ śāntamānasam ||
你所礼敬的是那无喜无狂、诸苦已息的内在自我：为一切众生之友，无怨无敌，心意寂静。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse defines the worthy object of upāsanā (reverent contemplation) as the Ātman characterized by equanimity (no elation), freedom from inner torment, universal goodwill, absence of enmity, and mental tranquility—an ethical-spiritual ideal where inner realization expresses itself as non-hostility toward all beings.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs on dharma and the means to peace after the devastation of war. Here he describes the qualities of the Self that one should worship/realize, emphasizing inner calm and universal friendliness as the foundation for righteous living and reconciliation.