Except Shantanu's highly powerful son Bhishma firmly devoted to righteousness, possessed of heroism and having virtue for the only object of life, we have never heard of any other person in the three worlds who could, by his power of asceticism, though lying on a bed of arrows and on the point of death, prevent death (from attacking him).
ऋते शान्तनवाद् भीष्मात् त्रिषु लोकेषु पार्थिव। सत्यधर्मान्महावीर्याच्छूराद् धर्मेकतत्परात्॥ मृत्युमावार्य तपसा शरसंस्तरशायिनः। निसर्गप्रभवं किंचिन्न च तातानुशुश्रुम॥