Shloka 106
धारयिष्याम्यहं प्राणानुत्तरायणकाड्क्षया । ऐश्वर्यभूत: प्राणानामुत्सगों हि यतो मम
sañjaya uvāca | dhārayiṣyāmy ahaṃ prāṇān uttarāyaṇakāṅkṣayā | aiśvaryabhūtaḥ prāṇānām utsargo hi yato mama | ṣaḍ etān niśitair bhīṣmaḥ pravivyādha uttamaiḥ śaraiḥ |
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: “Pipigilin ko ang aking hininga ng buhay habang hinihintay ang paghilaga ng Araw (uttarāyaṇa), sapagkat taglay ko ang kapangyarihang panginoon: ang buhay na ito’y maibibitiw lamang kapag ako mismo ang may ibig.” Pagkaraan, si Bhīṣma, sa pamamagitan ng mga palasong matalas at mararangal, tumama sa mga mahalagang bahagi at bumasag maging sa baluti, at malubhang nasugatan ang anim na dakilang mandirigma—Sātyaki, Bhīmasena, Arjuna na anak ni Pāṇḍu, Virāṭa, Drupada, at ang anak niyang si Dhṛṣṭadyumna.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined self-command: Bhīṣma’s famed power to relinquish life at will is framed as an ‘aiśvarya’ (sovereign mastery) exercised in alignment with his vow and sense of dharma—waiting for uttarāyaṇa as an auspicious time. It contrasts inner sovereignty over death with the outer compulsion of war-dharma, where duty can demand severe action.
Sañjaya reports Bhīṣma’s declaration that he will keep himself alive until uttarāyaṇa, since he can choose the moment of death. In the same sequence, Bhīṣma powerfully strikes six prominent Pāṇḍava-aligned warriors—Sātyaki, Bhīma, Arjuna, Virāṭa, Drupada, and Dhṛṣṭadyumna—piercing them with sharp arrows that can break through armor and vital points.