Shloka 33

Devanagari script

अपगतमसुखार्थमी हनार्थ- रुपगतबुद्धिरवेक्ष्य चात्मसंस्थम्‌ । तृषितमनियतं मनो नियम्तुं व्रतमिदमाजगरं शुचिश्ष॒रामि,“जिनका परिणाम दु:ख है, उन इच्छाके विषयभूत समस्त पदार्थोसे जो विरक्त हो चुका है, ऐसे आत्मनिष्ठ महापुरुषको देखकर मुझे ज्ञान प्राप्त हो गया है। अतः मैं तृष्णासे व्याकुल असंयत मनको वशगमें करनेके लिये पवित्रभावसे इस आजगर-व्रतका आचरण करता हूँ

Transliteration

apagata-masukha-artham īhanārtha-rūpagata-buddhir avekṣya cātma-saṁstham | tṛṣitam aniyataṁ mano niyantuṁ vratam idam ājagaraṁ śuciḥ śrāmi ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “Seeing a great man established in the Self—one whose understanding has turned away from all pursuits and objects that, though sought as ‘happiness’, end in suffering—I gained insight. Therefore, to bring my thirst-driven, undisciplined mind under control, I undertake with purity this ‘python-vow’ (ājagara-vrata), the vow of stillness and non-grasping.”

Word by Word

अपगतgone away from, free from

असुखार्थम्that whose end/result is suffering

ईहानार्थरूपगतबुद्धिःone whose understanding has gone to (the view) that striving is of the nature of harm

अवेक्ष्यhaving seen/observed

चand

आत्मसंस्थम्abiding in the Self, self-established

तृषितम्thirsting, craving

अनियम्तम्unrestrained, uncontrolled

मनःmind

नियम्तुम्to restrain, to control

व्रतम्vow, observance

इदम्this

आजगरम्python-like (ajagara), the 'ajagara' vow

शुचिःpure, with purity

चरामिI practice/undertake

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

ātma (Self)

ājagara-vrata (python-vow)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Craving-driven pursuits that promise pleasure often culminate in suffering; by recognizing this and cultivating dispassion, one should restrain the restless mind through disciplined observance—here symbolized by the ājagara-vrata, a practice of non-grasping and inner steadiness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma reports that, after observing a self-abiding renunciant who is detached from painful worldly aims, he gains clarity and adopts the ‘python-vow’ as a method to subdue his own thirsting, uncontrolled mind.