Shloka 35

Bhīṣma’s Śara-śayyā Stuti to Vāsudeva and Yogic Preparation for Dehotsarga

Body-Relinquishment

Devanagari script

ऋतमेकाक्षरं ब्रह्म यत्‌ तत्‌ सदसतो: परम्‌ | अनादिमध्यपर्यन्तं न देवा नर्षयो विदु:

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | ṛtam ekākṣaraṃ brahma yat tat sadasatoḥ param | anādimadhyaparyantaṃ na devā na ṛṣayo viduḥ |

Translation

Бхишма сказал: «Та Реальность — единосложный Брахман, Пранава (Ом) — превыше и сущего (sat), и несущего (asat). У неё нет ни начала, ни середины, ни конца; ни боги, ни риши не постигают её вполне.»

Word by Word

• ऋतम्: truth, cosmic order
• ऋतम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• एकाक्षरम्: single-syllabled (i.e., Om)
• एकाक्षरम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एकाक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• ब्रह्म: Brahman, the Absolute
• ब्रह्म: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• सत्: of the existent/real
• सत्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक; √अस् शतृ)
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• असतः: of the non-existent/unreal
• असतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: असत् (प्रातिपदिक; √अस् शतृ with negation)
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• परम्: beyond, supreme
• परम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अनादि-मध्य-पर्यन्तम्: without beginning, middle, or end
• अनादि-मध्य-पर्यन्तम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनादि + मध्य + पर्यन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• देवाः: gods
• देवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• न: nor
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• ऋषयः: sages
• ऋषयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• विदुः: know
• Type: Verb
• Root: √विद् (ज्ञाने)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma (Bhīṣma)
• Devas (Devāḥ)
• Rishis (Ṛṣayaḥ)
• Brahman (Brahma)
• Ekākṣara (one-syllable, i.e., praṇava/Oṃ as implied)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that the highest Reality (Brahman), symbolized by the one-syllable praṇava, transcends all dualities such as sat and asat and is beyond complete conceptual grasp—even for gods and sages. The ethical implication is humility before the Absolute and a turn toward disciplined living and devotion rather than mere intellectual certainty.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhishma continues his discourse on ultimate truth and the supreme refuge. Here he characterizes Brahman as beginningless, endless, and beyond the reach of even exalted beings, framing the spiritual horizon for dharma after the war.