Shloka 4
यद्यन्मुण्चति गात्र हि स शान्तनुसुतस्तदा । तत् तद् विशल्यं भवति योगयुक्तस्य तस्य वै
yadyan muñcati gātra hi sa śāntanusutas tadā | tat tad viśalyaṁ bhavati yogayuktasya tasya vai ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : À mesure que le fils de Śāntanu (Bhīṣma), uni au yoga, retirait son souffle vital d’un membre après l’autre, ce membre même devenait aussitôt sans flèches : les traits glissaient d’eux-mêmes et la plaie se refermait.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights yogic self-mastery: through concentrated yoga, Bhīṣma can regulate the body’s experience of pain and even the physical effects of injury. Ethically, it underscores steadfastness and disciplined control as supports for dharma, especially in the wake of violence.
As Bhīṣma’s life-breath withdraws from each limb, the arrows embedded in that limb automatically come out and the wound heals. The gathered sages witness this as a marvel of Bhīṣma’s yogic absorption.