Shloka 29
अध्याय १७८ — प्राणवायुगतिः तथा शारीराग्निव्यवस्था
Adhyāya 178 — The courses of prāṇa-vāyu and the regulation of the bodily fire
य इमं मामकं देहं भूतग्राम: समाश्रितः । स यात्वितो यथाकामं वसतां वा यथासुखम्
ya imaṁ māmakaṁ dehaṁ bhūtagrāmaḥ samāśritaḥ | sa yātv ito yathākāmaṁ vasatāṁ vā yathāsukham ||
Bhishma sprach: „Was aber diesen meinen Leib betrifft, auf dem die Gesamtheit der Elemente Zuflucht genommen hat: Möge dieses Elementheer von ihm fortgehen, wie es will, oder hier in Behagen verweilen, wie es ihm beliebt. Es ist mir gleichgültig.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches vairāgya (detachment): the body is merely a temporary assemblage of the elements, and the wise do not cling to it. Whether the elemental constituents remain or disperse (life continuing or ending), one should maintain equanimity and freedom from possessiveness.
In the Śānti Parva, Bhishma—lying on the bed of arrows and instructing Yudhishthira—expresses his dispassion toward his own bodily condition. He frames the body as a ‘bhūtagrāma’ (elemental aggregate) and declares that its staying or departing is of no concern to him.