Shloka 42
Bhīṣma’s Śara-śayyā Stuti to Vāsudeva and Yogic Preparation for Dehotsarga
Body-Relinquishment
यं बृहन्तं बृहत्युक्थे यमग्नौ यं महाध्वरे । यं विप्रसंघा गायन्ति तस्मै वेदात्मने नम:
yaṁ bṛhantaṁ bṛhatyukthe yam agnau yaṁ mahādhvare | yaṁ viprasaṅghā gāyanti tasmai vedātmane namaḥ ||
Bhishma said: “Salutations to that Lord who is the very soul of the Veda—whom the priests invoke as the ‘Great One’ in the great Uktha-sacrifice, whom they worship in the consecrated fire, and whom, in mighty sacrificial rites, assemblies of Brahmins praise as Brahman itself.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the Supreme is not separate from the Veda and yajña: the same ultimate reality is praised through Vedic recitation, honored in the sacrificial fire, and recognized by learned Brahmins as Brahman. It emphasizes reverence, unity of ritual and metaphysical truth, and devotion grounded in Vedic tradition.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and higher truths, Bhishma offers a reverential salutation. He identifies the worshiped deity as the Veda’s very essence, celebrated in major sacrificial contexts (Uktha rites, Agni worship, and great yajñas) by assemblies of Brahmins.