Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 46
वासुदेव उवाच अनुजानामि भीष्म त्वां वसून् प्राप्तुहि पार्थिव । न ते$स्ति वृजिनं किंचिदिहलोके महाद्युते
vāsudeva uvāca | anujānāmi bhīṣma tvāṁ vasūn prāptum iha pārthiva | na te 'sti vṛjinaṁ kiñcid iha loke mahādyute ||
Vāsudeva said: “O Bhīṣma, O mighty king, I grant you leave—go now to the world of the Vasus. In this world, O great-splendored one, there is not the slightest stain of wrongdoing in you.”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse affirms Bhīṣma’s moral integrity: despite the violence and complexity of the Kurukṣetra war, his life is declared free from culpable wrongdoing. It highlights the ethical idea that steadfast adherence to one’s vowed dharma, when guided by right intention and self-control, can remain unstained even amid tragic circumstances.
Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva) addresses the dying Bhīṣma and grants him leave to depart for the realm of the Vasus—Bhīṣma’s divine lineage. The statement functions as a public vindication and a compassionate send-off, marking Bhīṣma’s transition from the human battlefield narrative to his destined celestial abode.