छन््दतो मृत्युरित्येवं तस्य चास्तु वरस्तथा । धारयिष्ये ततः प्राणानुत्सगें नियते सति
chandato mṛtyur ity evaṃ tasya cāstu varas tathā | dhārayiṣye tataḥ prāṇān utsarge niyate sati ||
Sañjaya dit : « Ainsi résolu — “que la mort ne vienne qu’au moment que je choisis” —, que ce don demeure et s’accomplisse. C’est pourquoi je retiendrai mon souffle de vie jusqu’à l’instant fixé pour le rendre. »
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights self-mastery and fidelity to a vow/boon: life is sustained not by impulse but by disciplined resolve, and death is approached as a consciously accepted, ethically timed act rather than a mere accident.
In the war narrative, the speaker reports a resolve to postpone death until the predetermined moment, so that an earlier boon—granting death only by one’s own choice—remains effective and fulfilled.