परित्यजेयं त्रैलोक्यं राज्यं देवेषु वा पुनः ।
यद्वाप्यधिकमेताभ्यां न तु सत्यं कथञ्चन ॥
त्यजेच्च पृथिवी गन्धमापश्च रसमात्मनः ।
ज्योतिस्तथा त्यजेद्रूपं वायुः स्पर्शगुणं त्यजेत् ॥
प्रभां समुत्सृजेदर्को धूमकेतुस्तथोष्णताम् ।
त्यजेच्छब्दं तथाकाशः सोमः शीतांशुतां त्यजेत् ॥
विक्रमं वृत्रहा जह्याद्धर्मं जह्याच्च धर्मराट् ।
न त्वहं सत्यमुत्स्रष्टुं व्यवसेयं कथञ्चन ॥

parityajeyaṁ trailokyaṁ rājyaṁ deveṣu vā punaḥ |
yadvāpy adhikam etābhyāṁ na tu satyaṁ kathañcana ||
tyajec ca pṛthivī gandham āpaś ca rasam ātmanaḥ |
jyotis tathā tyajed rūpaṁ vāyuḥ sparśa-guṇaṁ tyajet ||
prabhāṁ samutsṛjed arko dhūmaketus tathoṣṇatām |
tyajec chabdaṁ tathākāśaḥ somaḥ śītāṁśutāṁ tyajet ||
vikramaṁ vṛtrahā jahyād dharmaṁ jahyāc ca dharmarāṭ |
na tv ahaṁ satyam utsraṣṭuṁ vyavaseyaṁ kathañcana ||
(Mahābhārata: 1.97.15–18)

“[Bhīṣmadeva insisting to his mother Satyavatī that he will not break his vow of not begetting children:] I shall renounce the three worlds, an empire among the devas, or even anything greater than these, but never by any means my vow. The earth may give up its fragrance, and water its own taste. Similarly, light may give up its form, and air may give up the quality of touch. Similarly, the sun may cease to emit light and fire [cease to emit] heat. Similarly, the sky may give up sound, and the moon may give up having cooling rays. The slayer of Vṛtra [i.e., Indra] may abandon valor, the king of dharma [i.e., Yama] may abandon dharma, but I shall never resolve by any means to abandon my vow.”

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