Shloka 30
ताराब्यं कुमुदाकारमाकाशं निर्मल बहु । घनैर्मुक्ते नभो दृष्टवा लुब्धक: शीतविह्नल:,प्रभो! ताराओंसे भरा हुआ अत्यन्त निर्मल आकाश विकसित कुमुद-कुसुमोंसे सुशोभित सरोवर-सा प्रतीत होता था। आकाशको मेघोंसे मुक्त हुआ देख सर्दीसे काँपते हुए उस व्याधने सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंकी ओर दृष्टिपात किया और गाढ़े अन्धकारसे भरी हुई रात्रि देखकर मन-ही-मन विचार किया कि मेरा निवासस्थान तो यहाँसे बहुत दूर है
tārābhyaṃ kumudākāram ākāśaṃ nirmalaṃ bahu | ghanair mukte nabho dṛṣṭvā lubdhakaḥ śītavihvalaḥ ||
Bhishma said: “The sky, thickly strewn with stars and exceedingly clear, looked like a lake adorned with fully blossomed white water-lilies. Seeing the heavens freed from clouds, the hunter—shivering with cold—cast his gaze in all directions; and, beholding the night heavy with darkness, he reflected inwardly that his dwelling lay far away from that place.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses vivid natural imagery to frame a moral-narrative moment: human beings, when confronted with hardship (cold, darkness, distance), are driven to inward reflection and prudent assessment of their situation—an ethical prelude to choosing the right course of action (dharma) amid uncertainty.
Bhishma describes a hunter on a cold, cloudless night. The star-filled, clear sky resembles a lake bright with white lilies. Shivering, the hunter looks around in the deep darkness and thinks to himself that his home is far away from where he currently stands.