Shloka 107
तस्मात् प्राणान् धारयिष्ये मुमूर्षुरुदगायने । यश्न दत्तो वरो महां पित्रा तेन महात्मना
tasmāt prāṇān dhārayiṣye mumūrṣur udagāyane | yasya datto varo mahān pitrā tena mahātmanā ||
Darum werde ich, obgleich ich fortzugehen begehre, mein Leben bewahren, bis die Sonne ihren nördlichen Lauf (uttarāyaṇa) nimmt. Möge sich die große Gabe erfüllen, die mir mein edler Vater verlieh: dass ich den Tod nur dann erlange, wenn ich ihn selbst wähle. Bis die bestimmte Zeit des Lebensverzichts gekommen ist, werde ich diese Lebenshauche gewiss in mir zurückhalten.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights self-control and fidelity to a vow: even when death is desired, one may uphold dharma by sustaining life until the rightful, chosen, and cosmically appropriate time—honoring a boon and exercising disciplined agency over one’s end.
Bhīṣma, lying on the battlefield, resolves to keep himself alive until uttarāyaṇa. He intends to make true the boon from his father that he can die at will, so he restrains his prāṇas until the moment he chooses to depart.