Shloka 7
Adhyāya 270 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on saṃnyāsa; Bhīṣma on calculable time, tamas, and karma
Vṛtra–Uśanā exemplum begins
तदनन्तर उस ब्राह्मणने शान्त मनसे देवताओंके अनुचर कुण्डधार नामक मेघको पास ही खड़ा देखा ।।
tadanantaraṃ sa brāhmaṇaḥ śānta-manasaḥ devatānām anucaraṃ kuṇḍadhāra-nāmakaṃ meghaṃ pārśve sthitaṃ dadarśa | dṛṣṭvaiva taṃ mahābāhuṃ tasya bhaktir ajāyata | ayaṃ me dhāsyati śreyo vapur etad hi tādṛśam ||
Danach sah der Brahmane — sein Geist war nun zur Ruhe gekommen — ganz in der Nähe eine Wolke namens Kuṇḍadhāra, einen Gefolgsmann der Götter, dicht bei sich stehen. Sobald er dieses mächtigarmige Wesen erblickte, erwachte in ihm Hingabe, und er dachte: „Gewiss wird dieser mein Wohl fördern; denn schon seine Gestalt trägt solche glückverheißenden Zeichen.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how inner calm (śānta-manasaḥ) enables recognition of beneficent, dharmic support, and how devotion (bhakti) can arise from perceiving auspicious qualities—directing the mind toward śreyas (true welfare) rather than mere immediate gain.
A brahmin, now composed, notices a divine attendant in the form of a cloud named Kuṇḍadhāra standing nearby. On seeing this mighty figure, he feels devotion and concludes that this being will bring him welfare because its appearance bears favorable, auspicious characteristics.