Shloka 17
दुर्लभ: स मया द्रष्टमाशा च महती मम । तया परीतगात्रो5हं मुमूर्षुर्नात्र संशय:,“मेरे लिये उसका दर्शन दुर्लभ है तो भी मेरे मनमें उसके मिलनेकी बड़ी भारी आशा लगी हुई है। उस आशाने मेरे सम्पूर्ण शरीरपर अधिकार कर लिया है। इसमें संदेह नहीं कि मैं उसके लिये मौतको भी स्वीकार कर लेना चाहता हूँ
durlabhaḥ sa mayā dṛṣṭam āśā ca mahatī mama | tayā parītagātro ’haṃ mumūrṣur nātra saṃśayaḥ ||
Bhishma said: “Though it is rare for me to behold him, a great hope of meeting him has arisen in my heart. That hope has taken hold of my whole being. There is no doubt: for his sake I am ready even to accept death.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Intense aspiration toward a revered goal—especially the wish for the ‘darśana’ of a worthy person or ideal—can so fully possess the mind and body that one becomes willing to sacrifice even life; the verse highlights the ethical power of steadfast longing and single-pointed resolve.
Bhishma, speaking in the Shanti Parva, expresses that although seeing the person he longs for is difficult, his hope of meeting remains immense; that hope overwhelms him, and he declares himself ready to embrace death for the sake of that meeting.