अध्याय १७८ — प्राणवायुगतिः तथा शारीराग्निव्यवस्था
Adhyāya 178 — The courses of prāṇa-vāyu and the regulation of the bodily fire
एष ब्रद्मप्रतिष्ठो5हं ग्रीष्मे शीतमिव हृदम् । शाम्यामि परिनिर्वामि सुखं मामेति केवलम्,जैसे ग्रीष्म-ऋतुमें लोग शीतल जलवाले सरोवरमें प्रवेश करते हैं, उसी प्रकार अब मैं परब्रह्ममें प्रतिष्ठित हो गया हूँ, अतः शान्त हूँ, सब ओरसे निर्वाणको प्राप्त हो गया हूँ। अब मुझे केवल सुख-ही-सुख मिल रहा है
eṣa brahmapratiṣṭho 'haṃ grīṣme śītam iva hradam | śāmyāmi parinirvāmi sukhaṃ mām eti kevalam ||
Bhishma berkata: “Kini aku telah teguh bersemayam dalam Brahman. Seperti pada panas musim kemarau manusia masuk ke tasik yang sejuk, demikianlah aku telah memasuki hakikat tertinggi itu. Maka aku pun tenteram; aku telah mencapai ketenangan yang sempurna dari segala arah. Sekarang, bagiku hanya ada kebahagiaan—tiada selain kebahagiaan.”
भीष्म उवाच
The verse presents the ideal of inner liberation: when one becomes established in Brahman (brahmapratiṣṭha), mental heat and turmoil subside, culminating in complete peace (parinirvāṇa). Ethical life and right understanding mature into detachment, so that even at life’s end one abides in calm and experiences undivided well-being.
Bhishma, lying on his bed of arrows and concluding his instruction in the Shanti Parva, describes his present inner state. Using the image of entering a cool lake in summer, he declares that he has entered and become grounded in Brahman, and therefore feels total pacification and only bliss as he approaches his departure.