Shloka 17
Adhyāya 270 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on saṃnyāsa; Bhīṣma on calculable time, tamas, and karma
Vṛtra–Uśanā exemplum begins
पश्यतामथ यक्षाणां कुण्डधारो महाद्युति: | निपत्य पतितो भूमौ देवानां भरतर्षभ
paśyatām atha yakṣāṇāṁ kuṇḍadhāro mahādyutiḥ | nipatya patito bhūmau devānāṁ bharatarṣabha ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Dann, vor den Augen der Yakṣas, stürzte der strahlende Kuṇḍadhāra plötzlich nieder und lag zusammengebrochen auf der Erde—o Stier unter den Bharatas—(ein Ereignis, das selbst die Götter beachteten).“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the suddenness and inevitability of downfall even for the brilliant and powerful, suggesting that dharma-oriented reflection should account for impermanence and the higher order that governs outcomes beyond mere strength or status.
Bhīṣma narrates an incident witnessed by the Yakṣas: the splendid figure named Kuṇḍadhāra abruptly falls and lies on the ground, an event framed as significant enough to be associated with the gods and addressed to the Bharata listener.