Shloka 63
Bhīṣma’s Śara-śayyā Stuti to Vāsudeva and Yogic Preparation for Dehotsarga
Body-Relinquishment
यो निषण्णो भवेद् रात्रौ दिवा भवति विछित: । इष्टनिष्टस्य च द्रष्टा तस्मै द्रष्टात्मने नमः,जो रातमें भी जागते रहते हैं और दिनके समय साक्षीरूपमें स्थित रहते हैं तथा जो सदा ही सबके भले-बुरेको देखते रहते हैं, उन द्रष्टारूपी परमात्माको प्रणाम है
yo niṣaṇṇo bhaved rātrau divā bhavati vicchitaḥ | iṣṭāniṣṭasya ca draṣṭā tasmai draṣṭātmane namaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: Salam sembah kepada Diri Tertinggi—yang pada malam hari tetap berjaga walau duduk diam, dan pada siang hari teguh sebagai saksi yang tidak terikat; yang memandang sama rata yang disukai dan yang tidak disukai, sebagai Sang Penyaksi dalam segala makhluk. Kepada Diri-Saksi itu aku tunduk.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises the Supreme Self as the inner witness who observes both the pleasant and the unpleasant without partiality. Ethically, it points to steadiness and non-reactivity: one should cultivate a witness-like awareness that is not driven by likes and dislikes, which supports dharmic judgment and inner freedom.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and higher wisdom. Here he offers a reverential salutation to the Paramātman described as the ever-awake, detached seer—framing his teaching within devotion and the ideal of inner witnessing.