Shloka 173
Bhīṣma’s Śara-śayyā Stuti to Vāsudeva and Yogic Preparation for Dehotsarga
Body-Relinquishment
युकत्या सर्वात्मना55त्मानं तं॑ प्रपद्ये प्रजापतिम् । जो स्वयं शुद्ध हैं
yuktyā sarvātmanā ātmānaṃ taṃ prapadye prajāpatiṃ |
Bhīṣma proclame son abandon total : avec un discernement lucide et de tout son être, il prend refuge en ce Seigneur des créatures, Prajāpati. Pur par lui-même, il rend pur aussi le chemin qui mène à lui ; il est de nature Haṃsa, le Paramātman—le sens profond du « tat »—et le Paramēṣṭhī, gardien des êtres. Rompant toute autre dépendance et ne se liant qu’à lui, Bhīṣma se réfugie en tout en Śrī Kṛṣṇa, l’Âme de tous.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True refuge is taken with both clarity (yuktyā) and total commitment (sarvātmanā). The verse teaches that surrender to the highest protector (Prajāpati) is an ethical reorientation: withdrawing reliance from lesser supports and grounding one’s life in the pure source of order and guardianship.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhīṣma speaks as a teacher on dharma and spiritual conduct. Here he voices a personal vow-like statement of taking refuge in Prajāpati, exemplifying the devotional and contemplative posture that undergirds his broader counsel.