Shloka 56
एतद् वाक््यं सौहृददादापगेयो मध्ये राज्ञां भारतं श्रावयित्वा । तूष्णीमासीच्छल्यसंतप्तमर्मा योज्यात्मानं वेदनां संनियम्य
etad vākyaṃ sauhṛdadād āpageyo madhye rājñāṃ bhārataṃ śrāvayitvā | tūṣṇīm āsīc chalyasaṃtaptamarmā yojyātmānaṃ vedanāṃ saṃniyamya ||
Sanjaya said: Having, out of goodwill, conveyed this message to Duryodhana in the midst of the assembled kings, Bhishma—the son of Ganga—fell silent. His vital points were seared with the pain of arrows; yet restraining that anguish, he gathered his mind and fixed it in contemplation of the Supreme Self.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in extreme suffering, one can practice restraint (saṃniyama) and inner recollection—directing the mind away from reactive pain toward steadiness and contemplation of the highest reality. The verse highlights ethical composure and spiritual discipline within the duties of war.
After delivering a message to Duryodhana before the gathered rulers, Bhīṣma stops speaking. Though pierced and burning with arrow-wounds, he suppresses the pain and concentrates his mind inward, indicating both his physical ordeal on the battlefield and his mental mastery.