Shloka 18
Ākiṃcanya–Tyāga Upadeśa
The Instruction on Non-ownership and Renunciation
ततोअस्तं भास्करे याते संध्याकाल उपस्थिते । आजगाम स्वभवनं ब्रह्मलोकात् खगोत्तम:
tato 'staṃ bhāskare yāte sandhyākāla upasthite | ājagāma svabhavanaṃ brahmalokāt khagottamaḥ ||
Dann, als die Sonne untergegangen war und die Dämmerung heraufzog, kam ein erhabener Vogel aus Brahmaloka zu seiner eigenen Wohnstatt. Der Baum selbst war sein Haus und Ruheplatz und bezeichnete das Ende des Tages und die Rückkehr eines hohen Wesens in die ihm bestimmte Bleibe.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores alignment with ṛta (cosmic order): as day turns to twilight, beings return to their proper abodes. It subtly affirms the ethical ideal of living in harmony with time, duty, and one’s appointed place.
At sunset, when twilight begins, a distinguished bird arrives from Brahmaloka and comes to its own residence—identified as a tree—setting the scene for the continuation of Bhīṣma’s discourse.