Shloka 26
Saṃhāra-krama (The Sequence of Cosmic Dissolution) — Yājñavalkya’s Discourse
आत्मनां च सहस्राणि बहूनि भरतर्षभ । योग: कुर्याद् बल प्राप्य तैश्न सर्वेर्महीं चरेत्,भरतश्रेष्ठ) योगी योगबल पाकर अपने हजारों रूप बना सकता है और उन सबके द्वारा इस पृथ्वीपर विचर सकता है
ātmānāṃ ca sahasrāṇi bahūni bharatarṣabha | yogaḥ kuryād bala-prāpya taiś ca sarvair mahīṃ caret ||
Bhīṣma said: “O bull among the Bharatas, having attained the power born of Yoga, a yogin can fashion many thousands of selves (manifest forms) and, through all of them, move about upon this earth.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the extraordinary capacities (siddhis) attributed to advanced yogic discipline—specifically, the ability to manifest multiple forms—implying that inner mastery can yield powers beyond ordinary human limits, though such powers are typically framed as secondary to dharmic self-control.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and allied disciplines; here he describes a yogin’s potential yogabala (power from yoga), presenting an example of yogic attainment as part of his broader teaching.