Shloka 31
Bhīṣma’s Śara-śayyā Stuti to Vāsudeva and Yogic Preparation for Dehotsarga
Body-Relinquishment
अतिवाय्विन्द्रकर्माणमतिसूर्यातितेजसम् । अतिबुद्धीन्द्रियात्मानं तं प्रपद्ये प्रजापतिम्
ativāyvindrakarmāṇam atisūryātitejasam | atibuddhīndriyātmānaṃ taṃ prapadye prajāpatiṃ ||
Bhīṣma déclare prendre refuge en Prajāpati, le Seigneur qui soutient et gouverne les êtres. Il le décrit comme surpassant la puissance de Vāyu et d’Indra, éclipsant le soleil par son éclat, et demeurant hors de portée du mental, des sens et de l’intellect. À ce souverain sans tache je me confie.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches śaraṇāgati (taking refuge) in the Supreme Lord who transcends sensory and intellectual grasp, emphasizing that liberation-oriented spirituality rests on surrender to a reality greater than all cosmic powers.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhishma speaks as a teacher to the royal audience, offering a devotional-theological affirmation: he proclaims his refuge in Prajāpati and praises the Lord’s supremacy over major deities and over the faculties of cognition.