Shloka 12
Adhyāya 70: Sātyaki’s Arrow-Display and the Bhūriśravas Engagement; Twilight Withdrawal
नाभौ पद्म बभूवास्य सर्वलोकस्य सम्भवात् | तस्मात् पितामहो जातस्तस्माज्जातास्त्विमा: प्रजा:
nābhau padma babhūvāsya sarvalokasya sambhavāt | tasmāt pitāmaho jātas tasmāj jātāstv imāḥ prajāḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: From his navel arose a lotus, the very source from which all the worlds come forth. From that lotus was born the Grandfather, Brahmā; and from Brahmā have arisen all these beings.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a sacred, hierarchical view of creation: the cosmos arises from Nārāyaṇa, Brahmā is born from the lotus emerging from his navel, and all beings descend from Brahmā. This lineage underscores that existence is not random but rooted in a divine source, encouraging reverence and alignment with dharma.
Bhīṣma is describing the origin of the world in a traditional cosmological sequence: lotus from Nārāyaṇa’s navel, Brahmā born from that lotus, and then the proliferation of all creatures from Brahmā. It functions as a doctrinal clarification within the larger discourse of Bhīṣma Parva.