Shloka 6
Gratitude, Discernment, and the Escalation of Power (Śvā–Dvipī–Vyāghra–Nāga–Siṃha–Śarabha Itihāsa)
सिंहव्याप्रगणा: क्रूरा मत्ताश्नैव महागजा: । डीपिन: खड्गभल्लूका ये चान्ये भीमदर्शना:,क्रूर स्वभाववाले सिंह और व्याप्र, बड़े-बड़े मतवाले हाथी, चीते, गैंड़े, भालू तथा और भी जो भयानक दिखायी देनेवाले जानवर थे, वे सब उनके पास आते थे
siṁhavyāghragaṇāḥ krūrā mattāś caiva mahāgajāḥ | dīpinaḥ khaḍgabhallūkā ye cānye bhīmadarśanāḥ ||
Bhishma said: “Cruel lions and tigers, great rut-maddened elephants, leopards, rhinoceroses, bears, and other creatures of terrifying appearance would all come near him.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse suggests that inner discipline and dharmic potency can subdue or harmonize even inherently violent forces; ethical strength is portrayed as a power that calms fear and aggression rather than provoking it.
Bhishma describes a setting where fearsome wild animals—lions, tigers, rutting elephants, leopards, rhinoceroses, bears, and others—approach a particular person (implied from context) without hostility, emphasizing that the person’s presence inspires awe and restraint in nature itself.