Shloka 129
Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment
Parāśara’s Instruction
लता वल्यस्तृणौषध्य: पशवो मृगपक्षिण: । द्रव्यकर्मसमारम्भ: काल: पुष्पफलप्रद:,दस लक्षणोंवाला धर्म तथा अर्थ और काम भी आप ही हैं। गंगा, समुद्र, नदियाँ, गड़हे, तालाब, लता, वल्ली, तृण, ओषधि, पशु, मृग, पक्षी, द्रव्य और कर्मोके आरम्भ तथा फूल और फल देनेवाला काल भी आप ही हैं
latā vallyas tṛṇauṣadhyaḥ paśavo mṛga-pakṣiṇaḥ | dravya-karma-samārambhaḥ kālaḥ puṣpa-phala-pradaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “You yourself are the creepers and the vines, the grasses and medicinal herbs; you are the cattle, the wild beasts, and the birds. You are the very beginning of resources and actions, and you are Time itself, the giver of flowers and fruits.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches an all-pervading vision of the divine: the Lord is present as nature (plants, animals), as human means and effort (resources and actions), and as Time that ripens outcomes. Ethically, it encourages humility and dharmic conduct by seeing all agency and results as grounded in a higher order.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira and, in this section, offers a hymn-like enumeration identifying the Supreme with various aspects of the world. The verse is part of a broader praise that frames governance and personal conduct within a cosmic, devotional understanding.