Shloka 303
Śreyas-nirdeśa (Discerning the Superior Good): Nārada–Gālava Saṃvāda
समाश्रित्य सुखं क्षेमी मृत्युं हास्याम्यमृत्युवत् । अतः अब मैं काम और क्रोधको त्यागकर अहिंसाधर्मके पालनकी इच्छा करूँगा। सत्यका आश्रय लेकर कल्याणका भागी बनूँगा और अमरकी भाँति मृत्युको दूर हटा दूँगा
samāśritya sukhaṃ kṣemī mṛtyuṃ hāsyāmy amṛtyuvat | ataḥ adyaiva kāma-krodhau tyaktvā ahiṃsā-dharmasya pālanecchāṃ kariṣyāmi | satyam āśritya kalyāṇasya bhāgī bhaviṣyāmi amarasyeva ca mṛtyuṃ dūraṃ apāsayiṣyāmi |
Bhishma dit : «Prenant refuge dans le vrai bien-être et la paix, je rejetterai la mort comme si j’étais immortel. Ainsi, dès cet instant, j’abandonnerai le désir et la colère, et je me vouerai à observer le dharma de l’ahiṃsā, la non-violence. Appuyé sur la vérité, je prendrai part à l’auspice et—tel un immortel—je repousserai la mort au loin.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches inner conquest: abandon desire and anger, commit to non-violence, and stand firmly in truth. Such ethical self-discipline is portrayed as the path to lasting welfare (kṣema) and to transcending the fear of death—living with the steadiness of one who is 'as if immortal.'
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma articulates a personal resolve: he will renounce the impulses of kāma and krodha and embrace ahiṃsā and satya. The statement functions as a moral declaration within his broader counsel on righteous living and spiritual well-being.