Shloka 166

Bhīṣma’s Śara-śayyā Stuti to Vāsudeva and Yogic Preparation for Dehotsarga

Body-Relinquishment

Devanagari script

तया व्याससमासिन्या प्रीयतां पुरुषोत्तम: । भीष्मजी बोले--मैं श्रीकृष्णके आराधनकी इच्छा मनमें लेकर जिस वाणीका प्रयोग करना चाहता हूँ

Transliteration

tayā vyāsasamāsin̄yā prīyatāṁ puruṣottamaḥ |

Translation

Bhishma said: “May the Supreme Person be pleased with this speech of mine—whether it unfolds at length or is gathered in brief—spoken with the intent of worshipping Śrī Kṛṣṇa in my heart.”

Word by Word

• तया: by that (speech/means)
• तया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• व्यास-समासिन्या: by (a speech) that is elaborate or concise
• व्यास-समासिन्या: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यास-समासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• प्रीयताम्: may (he) be pleased / let (him) be pleased
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्री (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथम, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• पुरुषोत्तमः: the Supreme Person
• पुरुषोत्तमः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुषोत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Puruṣottama (Śrī Kṛṣṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes devotional intention over rhetorical form: whether one speaks at length or briefly, what matters ethically and spiritually is the inner aim—offering one’s words as worship and seeking the Lord’s pleasure with humility.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma, speaking in the Śānti Parva, frames his discourse as an act of devotion. Before continuing his instruction, he offers a benediction that Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Puruṣottama, may be pleased with his forthcoming words, regardless of their expansiveness or brevity.