Shloka 18
Varāha-avatāra: Viṣṇu’s subterranean intervention and the cosmic nāda (Śānti-parva 202)
तथा मनुष्य: परिमुच्य काय- मदृश्यमन्यद् विशते शरीरम् । विसृज्य भूतेषु महत्सु देहं तदाश्रयं चैव बिभर्ति रूपम्
tathā manuṣyaḥ parimucya kāyam adṛśyam anyad viśate śarīram | visṛjya bhūteṣu mahatsu dehaṃ tadāśrayaṃ caiva bibharti rūpam ||
«Ainsi l’être humain, se dépouillant du corps visible, entre dans un autre corps, invisible. Laissant l’ancienne enveloppe grossière se fondre de nouveau dans les grands éléments, il prend appui sur l’autre corps et le porte comme sa propre forme.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma explains the transition at death: the visible gross body is abandoned and returns to the great elements, while the person enters and identifies with another, invisible (subtle) body that becomes the basis for continued existence.
In Shanti Parva’s instruction, Bhishma is describing the metaphysical process of embodiment—how, upon leaving the physical frame, one proceeds into a subtler form—supporting a broader ethical teaching about detachment from the perishable body and clarity about the self’s continuity.