Shloka 106
धारयिष्याम्यहं प्राणानुत्तरायणकाड्क्षया । ऐश्वर्यभूत: प्राणानामुत्सगों हि यतो मम
sañjaya uvāca | dhārayiṣyāmy ahaṃ prāṇān uttarāyaṇakāṅkṣayā | aiśvaryabhūtaḥ prāṇānām utsargo hi yato mama | ṣaḍ etān niśitair bhīṣmaḥ pravivyādha uttamaiḥ śaraiḥ |
サञ्जャヤは言った。「私は太陽の北行（ウッタラーヤナ）を待ちながら、生命の息を保ち続けよう。なぜなら、我が命は我が意のままにのみ捨て得るという主宰の力を具えているからだ。」そう言うや、ビーシュマは剃刀のごとく鋭い最上の矢を放ち、急所を貫き、鎧すら裂いて、六人の大戦士—サーティヤキ、ビーマセーナ、パーンドゥの子アルジュナ、ヴィラータ、ドルパダ、そしてその子ドゥリシュタデュムナ—を深く傷つけた。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined self-command: Bhīṣma’s famed power to relinquish life at will is framed as an ‘aiśvarya’ (sovereign mastery) exercised in alignment with his vow and sense of dharma—waiting for uttarāyaṇa as an auspicious time. It contrasts inner sovereignty over death with the outer compulsion of war-dharma, where duty can demand severe action.
Sañjaya reports Bhīṣma’s declaration that he will keep himself alive until uttarāyaṇa, since he can choose the moment of death. In the same sequence, Bhīṣma powerfully strikes six prominent Pāṇḍava-aligned warriors—Sātyaki, Bhīma, Arjuna, Virāṭa, Drupada, and Dhṛṣṭadyumna—piercing them with sharp arrows that can break through armor and vital points.