Shloka 102
Āṇīmāṇḍavya–Upākhyāna
The Account of Āṇīmāṇḍavya and the Birth of Vidura
नच्छुत्वा दुष्करं कर्म कृतं भीष्मेण शान्तनुः । स्वच्छन्दमरणं तुष्टो ददौ तस्मै महात्मने,भीष्मके द्वारा किये हुए उस दुष्कर कर्मकी बात सुनकर राजा शान्तनु बहुत संतुष्ट हुए और उन्होंने उन महात्मा भीष्मको स्वच्छन्द मृत्युका वरदान दिया
na śrutvā duṣkaraṁ karma kṛtaṁ bhīṣmeṇa śāntanuḥ | svacchanda-maraṇaṁ tuṣṭo dadau tasmai mahātmane ||
Khi vua Śāntanu nghe chuyện Bhīṣma đã làm việc khó nhọc phi thường ấy, nhà vua vô cùng hoan hỷ. Để báo đáp, ngài ban cho Bhīṣma đại hồn một ân huệ: được chết theo ý muốn của chính mình.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Extraordinary self-restraint and duty (dharma) undertaken for a higher commitment is ethically acknowledged by rightful authority; Śāntanu’s boon functions as a moral recompense for Bhīṣma’s difficult, self-sacrificial act.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Śāntanu, upon learning of Bhīṣma’s arduous deed (linked to his great vow and renunciation), becomes pleased and grants him the boon of choosing the moment of his own death (svacchanda-maraṇa / icchā-mṛtyu).