Shloka 173
Bhīṣma’s Śara-śayyā Stuti to Vāsudeva and Yogic Preparation for Dehotsarga
Body-Relinquishment
युकत्या सर्वात्मना55त्मानं तं॑ प्रपद्ये प्रजापतिम् । जो स्वयं शुद्ध हैं
yuktyā sarvātmanā ātmānaṃ taṃ prapadye prajāpatiṃ |
Ipinahayag ni Bhīṣma ang ganap na pagsuko: sa malinaw na pag-unawa at sa buong pagkatao, siya’y kumakalinga sa Panginoon ng mga nilalang, si Prajāpati. Siya’y likas na dalisay, at dalisay rin ang landas tungo sa Kanya; Siya ang Haṃsa sa anyo, ang Paramātman—ang malalim na kahulugan ng “tat”—at ang Paramēṣṭhī, tagapangalaga ng sangnilikha. Pinuputol ang lahat ng ibang pag-asa at kumakapit lamang sa Kanya, sa lahat ng paraan ay sumasandig si Bhīṣma kay Śrī Kṛṣṇa, ang Sarili ng lahat.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True refuge is taken with both clarity (yuktyā) and total commitment (sarvātmanā). The verse teaches that surrender to the highest protector (Prajāpati) is an ethical reorientation: withdrawing reliance from lesser supports and grounding one’s life in the pure source of order and guardianship.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhīṣma speaks as a teacher on dharma and spiritual conduct. Here he voices a personal vow-like statement of taking refuge in Prajāpati, exemplifying the devotional and contemplative posture that undergirds his broader counsel.