Shloka 61
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
अपरे जग्मुराकाशमपरे<म्भ: समाविशन् | कितने ही धरतीमें घुस गये, बहुत-से पर्वतोंमें छिप गये, कुछ आकाशमें उड़ चले और दूसरे बहुत-से दानव पानीमें समा गये ।। ६० $ ।। तस्मिन् महति संवृत्ते समरे भूशदारुणे
apare jagmur ākāśam apare 'mbhaḥ samāviśan | kitane hī dhartīmeṁ ghus gaye, bahut-se parvatoṁ meṁ chip gaye, kucha ākāśa meṁ uṛ cale aur dūsare bahut-se dānava pānī meṁ samā gaye || 60 || tasmin mahati saṁvṛtte samare bhūśadāruṇe
Bhīṣma said: “In that vast and terrifying battle, some fled into the sky; others plunged into the waters. Many burrowed into the earth, many hid among the mountains; some took flight through the heavens, and many other demons disappeared beneath the water.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the destabilizing power of violent conflict: when battle becomes overwhelming, even powerful beings abandon pride and scatter in fear. Ethically, it hints that adharma-driven war produces chaos that harms the world itself (bhūśadāruṇa), not merely the combatants.
Bhishma describes a massive battle in which different groups of dānavas attempt to escape by various routes—some into the sky, some into water, others into the earth or mountains—emphasizing the scale and terror of the confrontation.