Shloka 333
Śreyas-nirdeśa (Discerning the Superior Good): Nārada–Gālava Saṃvāda
आत्मयज्ञो भविष्यामि न मां तारयति प्रजा । पिताजी! मैं आत्मासे अपने आपमें ही उत्पन्न हुआ हूँ। अपने आपमें ही स्थित हूँ। मेरे कोई संतान नहीं है। मैं आत्मयज्ञका ही यजमान होऊँगा। मुझे संतान नहीं तार सकती है
ātmayajño bhaviṣyāmi na māṃ tārayati prajā |
毗湿摩说道：“我将作为自我之祭（Ātma-yajña）的祭主；子嗣不能救度我。父亲啊！我由自我而生，唯依自我而住；我并无子嗣。因此，我将唯作自我之祭的祭主；子嗣不能使我得度。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberation is not guaranteed by external supports such as progeny or social continuity; one must undertake an inner discipline—‘ātma-yajña’—grounded in self-knowledge and renunciation, making the Self both the altar and the offering.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Bhīṣma emphasizes to his listener that he will rely on an inward, self-centered spiritual practice rather than on having children or lineage as a means of deliverance.