Shloka 333
Śreyas-nirdeśa (Discerning the Superior Good): Nārada–Gālava Saṃvāda
आत्मयज्ञो भविष्यामि न मां तारयति प्रजा । पिताजी! मैं आत्मासे अपने आपमें ही उत्पन्न हुआ हूँ। अपने आपमें ही स्थित हूँ। मेरे कोई संतान नहीं है। मैं आत्मयज्ञका ही यजमान होऊँगा। मुझे संतान नहीं तार सकती है
ātmayajño bhaviṣyāmi na māṃ tārayati prajā |
Bhishma said: “I shall be the sacrificer in the sacrifice of the Self; offspring cannot deliver me. My origin and support are in the Self alone, and therefore I do not rely on progeny for salvation.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberation is not guaranteed by external supports such as progeny or social continuity; one must undertake an inner discipline—‘ātma-yajña’—grounded in self-knowledge and renunciation, making the Self both the altar and the offering.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Bhīṣma emphasizes to his listener that he will rely on an inward, self-centered spiritual practice rather than on having children or lineage as a means of deliverance.