Shloka 70
Bhīṣma’s Śara-śayyā Stuti to Vāsudeva and Yogic Preparation for Dehotsarga
Body-Relinquishment
पर: कालात् परो यज्ञात् परात् परतरश्न यः । अनादिरादिरविश्वस्य तस्मै विश्वात्मने नम:
paraḥ kālāt paro yajñāt parāt parataraś ca yaḥ | anādir ādir viśvasya tasmai viśvātmanē namaḥ ||
Bhīṣma offers reverent salutation to the Supreme Lord who transcends time and even the sacrificial order, who is beyond all that is called ‘beyond’; who is the source of the entire universe while Himself without any beginning—the inner Self of all beings.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The Supreme is beyond time and beyond ritual action; He is the source of the universe yet Himself beginningless. Therefore, the highest dharma culminates in recognizing and revering that ultimate ground of all order.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma—teaching from his bed of arrows—utters a hymn-like salutation, elevating the discussion from social and royal duties to the supreme principle that underlies all dharma.