Shloka 17
Bhīṣma’s Śara-śayyā Stuti to Vāsudeva and Yogic Preparation for Dehotsarga
Body-Relinquishment
शुचिं शुचिपदं हंसं तत्पदं परमेष्ठिनम्
śuciṁ śucipadaṁ haṁsaṁ tatpadaṁ parameṣṭhinam
Bhīṣma said: “Meditate upon the Pure One—He whose station is purity; the haṁsa, the supreme spiritual ‘swan’—that very highest abode, the Parameṣṭhin (the Most Exalted).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates purity (śuci) and the ‘pure abode’ (śucipada) as the spiritual orientation for dharma: peace and right living are grounded in inner cleansing and contemplation of the highest reality, symbolized as the haṁsa and named Parameṣṭhin.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the means to peace after the war. Here he uses compact, mantra-like epithets to direct attention toward meditative remembrance of the supreme, presenting the highest goal as purity and the exalted ‘abode’ of Parameṣṭhin.