Shloka 59
Bhīṣma’s Śara-śayyā Stuti to Vāsudeva and Yogic Preparation for Dehotsarga
Body-Relinquishment
तद् यस्य नाभ्यां सम्भूतं यस्मिन् विश्व प्रतिष्ठितम् । पुष्करे पुष्कराक्षस्य तस्मै पद्मात्मने नम:,जिसपर यह विश्व टिका हुआ है, वह ब्रह्माण्ड-कमल जिन पुण्डरीकाक्ष भगवान्की नाभिसे प्रकट हुआ है, उन कमलरूपधारी परमेश्वरको प्रणाम है
tad yasya nābhyāṃ sambhūtaṃ yasmin viśvaṃ pratiṣṭhitam | puṣkare puṣkarākṣasya tasmai padmātmane namaḥ ||
तद्यस्य नाभ्यां सम्भूतं यस्मिन् विश्वं प्रतिष्ठितम् । पुष्करे पुष्कराक्षस्य तस्मै पद्मात्मने नमः ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches reverent recognition of the Supreme Lord as the foundation of the cosmos: the universe is established in Him, and even the cosmic lotus is said to arise from His navel. Ethically, it encourages humility and devotion—acknowledging a higher ground of order (dharma) beyond individual ego and power.
In the Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct after the war. Here he offers a brief hymn of salutation to Puṣkarākṣa (Viṣṇu/Nārāyaṇa), invoking cosmic imagery (the navel-born lotus and the universe resting in Him) to frame his teaching within devotion and metaphysical grounding.