Shloka 57
Bhīṣma’s Śara-śayyā Stuti to Vāsudeva and Yogic Preparation for Dehotsarga
Body-Relinquishment
यो5सौ युगसहसान्ते प्रदीप्तार्चिविंभावसु: । सम्भक्षयति भूतानि तस्मै घोरात्मने नम:
yo 'sau yuga-sahasrānte pradīptārcir vibhāvasuḥ | sambhakṣayati bhūtāni tasmai ghorātmane namaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Hommage à ce Soi suprême, redoutable et sublime, qui, au terme de mille yuga, prenant la forme du feu de la dissolution aux langues flamboyantes, consume tous les êtres. Ce souvenir engendre l’humilité et la retenue morale, car même la puissance et la vie les plus grandes demeurent soumises à la loi cosmique.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches reverence for the Supreme principle that governs creation and dissolution. Remembering the cosmic ‘end’ (pralaya) cultivates humility, detachment, and ethical restraint, aligning one’s conduct with dharma rather than pride in temporary power.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and higher truths. Here he offers a salutation (namas) to the Supreme as the pralaya-fire—Vibhāvasu with blazing flames—who consumes all beings at the end of vast cosmic cycles.