Shloka 8
एवमुक्तस्तदात्रिरवँ तमोनुदभवच्छशी । अपश्यत् सौम्यभावाच्च सोमवत् प्रियदर्शन:
evam uktas tadātrir avaṁ tamonudabhavac chaśī | apaśyat saumyabhāvāc ca somavat priyadarśanaḥ |
Bhīṣma said: When the gods spoke thus, the sage Atri at once assumed the form of the Moon, the dispeller of darkness. With a tranquil, gentle bearing he appeared pleasing to behold, like Soma himself, and he looked calmly 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 that battlefield, driving away darkness and illuminating the whole world.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Disciplined austerity (tapas), when joined with calmness and righteous purpose, can restore clarity and order—symbolized by driving away darkness and spreading light—even in the most chaotic setting such as a battlefield.
After the gods address him, the sage Atri assumes a moon-like form, appearing gentle and pleasing like Soma. Observing that the Moon and Sun’s radiance has become faint, he uses the power of his tapas to spread illumination over the battlefield and remove darkness from the world.