Shloka 10
जगदू वितिमिरं चापि प्रदीप्तमकरोत् तदा
jagad u vitimiraṃ cāpi pradīptam akarot tadā | pṛthvīnātha! devatābhir evaṃ ukte atriṇā andhakāraṃ dūra-karasya candramasaḥ rūpaṃ dhṛtaṃ, sa ca someva darśane priyaḥ babhūva | sa śānta-bhāvena devatāḥ praty apaśyat | tasmin kāle candrasūryayoḥ prabhāṃ mandāṃ dṛṣṭvā atriṇā svasya tapasā raṇabhūmau prakāśaḥ prasāritaḥ, sarvaṃ jagad andhakāra-śūnyaṃ ca ālokitaṃ ca kṛtam |
Bhishma said: “O lord of the earth! When the gods spoke thus, Atri assumed the form of the moon—one that drives away darkness—and became as pleasing to behold as Soma. With a tranquil mind he looked toward the gods. Then, seeing the radiance of the moon and the sun grow faint, Atri, by the power of his austerities, spread light across the battlefield and made the whole world free of darkness and filled with illumination.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical and spiritual idea that inner discipline (tapas) can restore order and clarity when natural supports fail. Atri’s calm, beneficent use of ascetic power models restraint and service: power is meant to remove darkness—literal and symbolic—rather than to dominate.
The gods appeal for help; Atri responds by taking on a moon-like form that dispels darkness. When the moon and sun appear dim, he amplifies illumination through his austerities, spreading light over the battlefield and making the world bright again.