Shloka 102
Āṇīmāṇḍavya–Upākhyāna
The Account of Āṇīmāṇḍavya and the Birth of Vidura
नच्छुत्वा दुष्करं कर्म कृतं भीष्मेण शान्तनुः । स्वच्छन्दमरणं तुष्टो ददौ तस्मै महात्मने,भीष्मके द्वारा किये हुए उस दुष्कर कर्मकी बात सुनकर राजा शान्तनु बहुत संतुष्ट हुए और उन्होंने उन महात्मा भीष्मको स्वच्छन्द मृत्युका वरदान दिया
na śrutvā duṣkaraṁ karma kṛtaṁ bhīṣmeṇa śāntanuḥ | svacchanda-maraṇaṁ tuṣṭo dadau tasmai mahātmane ||
Als König Śāntanu von der mühevollen und außergewöhnlichen Tat hörte, die Bhīṣma vollbracht hatte, war er zutiefst erfreut. Aus Dank verlieh er dem großherzigen Bhīṣma die Gabe, nach eigenem Willen zu sterben.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Extraordinary self-restraint and duty (dharma) undertaken for a higher commitment is ethically acknowledged by rightful authority; Śāntanu’s boon functions as a moral recompense for Bhīṣma’s difficult, self-sacrificial act.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Śāntanu, upon learning of Bhīṣma’s arduous deed (linked to his great vow and renunciation), becomes pleased and grants him the boon of choosing the moment of his own death (svacchanda-maraṇa / icchā-mṛtyu).