Shloka 77
Bhīṣma’s Śara-śayyā Stuti to Vāsudeva and Yogic Preparation for Dehotsarga
Body-Relinquishment
यो मोहयति भूतानि स्नेहपाशानुबन्धनै: । सर्गस्य रक्षणार्थाय तस्मै मोहात्मने नम:
yo mohayati bhūtāni snehapāśānubandhanaiḥ | sargasya rakṣaṇārthāya tasmai mohātmane namaḥ ||
Bhishma said: Salutations to that Lord whose very nature is Māyā—who, for the safeguarding and continuance of creation, binds all beings with the cords of affection and thereby keeps them moving within delusion.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Attachment (sneha) that binds beings is presented as a divinely governed force (Māyā) that preserves the continuity of creation and society; the ethical implication is to recognize its power, honor the cosmic order it supports, yet cultivate discernment so one is not blindly ruled by it.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and higher understanding, Bhishma offers a reverential statement about the Lord’s role in sustaining the world: by binding creatures through affection and consequent delusion, the created order continues; Bhishma responds with salutations to that divine principle.