Shloka 108
छन््दतो मृत्युरित्येवं तस्य चास्तु वरस्तथा । धारयिष्ये ततः प्राणानुत्सगें नियते सति
chandato mṛtyur ity evaṃ tasya cāstu varas tathā | dhārayiṣye tataḥ prāṇān utsarge niyate sati ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Dengan tekad demikian—‘biarlah maut datang hanya pada saat yang kupilih’—semoga anugerah itu benar-benar tetap teguh. Oleh itu aku akan menahan nafas kehidupanku hingga tiba saat yang telah ditetapkan untuk melepaskannya.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights self-mastery and fidelity to a vow/boon: life is sustained not by impulse but by disciplined resolve, and death is approached as a consciously accepted, ethically timed act rather than a mere accident.
In the war narrative, the speaker reports a resolve to postpone death until the predetermined moment, so that an earlier boon—granting death only by one’s own choice—remains effective and fulfilled.