Shloka 23
सत्य–अनृत, प्रकाश–तमस्, स्वर्ग–नरक विवेचनम्
Truth and Untruth as Light and Darkness; Svarga and Naraka as Ethical Consequences
भूगुरुवाच अनन्तमेतदाकाशं सिद्धदैवतसेवितम् । रम्यं नानाश्रयाकीर्ण यस्यान्तो नाधिगम्यते,भगुजीने कहा--मुने! यह आकाश तो अनन्त है, इसमें अनेकानेक सिद्ध और देवता निवास करते हैं। इसमें उनके भिन्न-भिन्न लोक भी स्थित हैं। यह बड़ा ही रमणीय है और इतना महान् है कि कहीं इसका अन्त नहीं मिलता
bhṛgur uvāca anantam etad ākāśaṁ siddha-daivata-sevitam | ramyaṁ nānāśrayākīrṇaṁ yasyānto nādhigamyate ||
Bhṛgu said: “This sky is endless, frequented and revered by perfected beings and the gods. It is delightful, filled with many abodes and supports; and its limit cannot be reached or known.”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the immeasurable vastness of ākāśa (space) and, by implication, the limits of ordinary perception and conceptual grasp. It points toward humility in knowledge and a contemplative orientation: reality contains countless realms and beings, and its ‘end’ is not something easily reached by mere inquiry.
In a didactic exchange, Bhṛgu describes the nature of the cosmos to a sage-interlocutor: space is infinite, inhabited by siddhas and deities, and contains many distinct abodes or worlds. The statement sets a cosmological frame for further ethical and spiritual instruction in Śānti Parva.