Shloka 166
आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः
Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca
न ते>स्त्यद्य मया कृत्यं किंचिदन्यत्र भक्षणात् | 'सौम्य! अब तुम्हारा काम बन गया और मेरा प्रयोजन भी सिद्ध हो गया; अतः अब मुझे खा लेनेके सिवा मेरे द्वारा तुम्हारा दूसरा कोई प्रयोजन सिद्ध होनेवाला नहीं है ।।
na te 'sty adya mayā kṛtyaṃ kiñcid anyatra bhakṣaṇāt | saumya! adya tava kāryaṃ kṛtaṃ mama ca prayojanaṃ siddham; ataḥ adhunā māṃ bhakṣayitvā vinā mayā tava nānyat prayojanaṃ sidhyati | aham annaṃ bhavān bhoktā durbalo 'haṃ bhavān balī ||
ビーシュマは言った。「今日、そなたのためにわたしがなすべきことは、食われること以外にない。おだやかな者よ、そなたの事はすでに成り、わたしの目的もまた成就した。ゆえに、わたしを食らうことを除けば、いまやそなたのいかなる望みも、わたしが叶えることはできぬ。わたしは食物、そなたは食らう者。わたしは弱く、そなたは強い。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames duty and completion of purpose in stark ethical terms: once one’s role is fulfilled, one may accept even personal loss for the other’s end. It contrasts weakness and strength (durbala/balī) to highlight responsibility, dependence, and the moral weight of consuming another’s sacrifice.
Bhishma addresses another being as “saumya,” declaring that the other’s objective has been achieved and that his own purpose is complete; now he can serve no further function except as food—“I am the food; you are the eater.” The scene emphasizes a grim transactional closure: the relationship is reduced to consumption after the intended goal is met.