Shloka 13
उपानीतं तु पानीयं दृष्टवा शान्तनवोडब्रवीत् | नाद्यातीता मया शक््या भोगा: केचन मानुषा:,उनके द्वारा लाये हुए उस जलको देखकर शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्मने कहा--'अब मैं मनुष्यलोकके कोई भी भोग अपने उपयोगमें नहीं ला सकता, मैं उन्हें छोड़ चुका हूँ। यद्यपि यहाँ बाणशय्यापर सो रहा हूँ, तथापि मनुष्यलोकसे ऊपर उठ चुका हूँ। केवल सूर्य- चन्द्रमाके उत्तरपथपर आनेकी प्रतीक्षामें यहाँ रुका हुआ हूँ!
sañjaya uvāca | upānītaṃ tu pānīyaṃ dṛṣṭvā śāntanavo 'bravīt | nādyātītā mayā śakyā bhogāḥ kecin mānuṣāḥ |
Sanjaya said: Seeing the water that had been brought, Bhishma, the son of Shantanu, spoke: “Now I am no longer able to partake of any human enjoyments; I have renounced them. Though I lie here upon a bed of arrows, I have risen beyond the ordinary human sphere. I remain here only, awaiting the sun and moon’s turning to the northern course.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma models vairagya (detachment): even amid extreme suffering he refuses ordinary comforts, indicating that one who has consciously turned toward the higher good should not be ruled by sense-pleasures. His waiting for uttarāyaṇa underscores disciplined, dharmic self-mastery and a deliberate, mindful approach to death.
On the battlefield, Bhishma lies on a bed of arrows. When water is brought to him, he declines, declaring he has left behind human enjoyments and is remaining alive only to await the auspicious northern course (uttarāyaṇa) before departing.