Śānti Parva, Adhyāya 52 — Bhīṣma’s Humility Before Kṛṣṇa and the Granting of Boons
न दिश: सम्प्रजानामि नाकाशं न च मेदिनीम् । केवलं तव वीर्येण तिष्ठामि मधुसूदन,“मधुसूदन! मुझे न तो दिशाओंका ज्ञान है और न आकाश एवं पृथ्वीका ही भान हो रहा है। केवल आपके प्रभावसे ही जी रहा हूँ
na diśaḥ samprajānāmi nākāśaṃ na ca medinīm | kevalaṃ tava vīryeṇa tiṣṭhāmi madhusūdana ||
न दिशः सम्प्रजानामि, नाकाशं न च मेदिनीम्। केवलं तव वीर्येण तिष्ठामि मधुसूदन॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
When perception and self-reliance collapse, steadiness can arise through surrender to a higher sustaining power; endurance is attributed not to egoic strength but to the support of the divine (here addressed as Madhusūdana).
The speaker reports a state of disorientation—unable to distinguish directions, sky, or earth—and declares that he is able to remain standing only because of Madhusūdana’s (Kṛṣṇa’s) power, emphasizing reliance on that protecting force.