Shloka 31
Bhīṣma’s Śara-śayyā Stuti to Vāsudeva and Yogic Preparation for Dehotsarga
Body-Relinquishment
अतिवाय्विन्द्रकर्माणमतिसूर्यातितेजसम् । अतिबुद्धीन्द्रियात्मानं तं प्रपद्ये प्रजापतिम्
ativāyvindrakarmāṇam atisūryātitejasam | atibuddhīndriyātmānaṃ taṃ prapadye prajāpatiṃ ||
Bhishma declares his refuge in Prajāpati, the Lord who sustains and governs beings. He surpasses the might of Vāyu and Indra, outshines even the sun in radiance, and remains beyond the reach of mind, senses, and intellect. To that sinless, all-ruling Sovereign I surrender.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches śaraṇāgati (taking refuge) in the Supreme Lord who transcends sensory and intellectual grasp, emphasizing that liberation-oriented spirituality rests on surrender to a reality greater than all cosmic powers.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhishma speaks as a teacher to the royal audience, offering a devotional-theological affirmation: he proclaims his refuge in Prajāpati and praises the Lord’s supremacy over major deities and over the faculties of cognition.