Shloka 60
Saṃhāra-krama (The Sequence of Cosmic Dissolution) — Yājñavalkya’s Discourse
ताराधिपं खे विमल॑ सतारं विश्वांश्व देवानुरगान् पितृश्च । शैलांश्व क॒त्स्नानुदधींश्व घोरान् नदीश्व॒ सर्वा: सवनान् घनांश्व,महात्मन्! योगसिद्ध महात्मा पुरुष यदि चाहे तो तुरंत ही मुक्त होकर महान् परब्रह्मके स्वरूपको प्राप्त कर लेता है अथवा वह अपने योगबलसे भगवान् ब्रह्मा, वरदायक विष्णु, महादेवजी, धर्म, छः मुखोंवाले कार्त्तिकेय, ब्रह्माजीके महानुभाव पुत्र सनकादि, कष्ट-दायक तमोगुण, महान् रजोगुण, विशुद्ध सत्त्वगुण, मूल प्रकृति, वरुणपत्नी सिद्धिदेवी, सम्पूर्ण तेज, महान् धैर्य, ताराओंसहित आकाशमें प्रकाशित होनेवाले निर्मल तारापति चन्द्रमा, विश्वेदेव, नाग, पितर, सम्पूर्ण पर्वत, भयंकर समुद्र, सम्पूर्ण नदी-समुदाय, वन, मेघ, नाग, वृक्ष, यक्ष, दिशा, गन्धर्वगण, समस्त पुरुष और स्त्री--इनमेंसे प्रत्येकके पास पहुँचकर उसके भीतर प्रवेश कर सकता है
tārādhipaṁ khe vimalaṁ satāraṁ viśvāṁś ca devān uragān pitṝṁś ca | śailāṁś ca kṛtsnān udadhīṁś ca ghorān nadīś ca sarvāḥ savanān ghanāṁś ca ||
Bhishma said: “The great-souled yogin, perfected in yoga, can—if he so wills—become liberated at once and attain the supreme Brahman. Or, by the power of yoga, he can reach any of these realms and beings and enter into them: the spotless moon, lord of stars, shining in the star-filled sky; the Viśvedevas; the serpentine beings (Nāgas); the Pitṛs (ancestors); all mountains; the dreadful oceans; all rivers; forests; and clouds.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights yogic mastery: a perfected yogin may choose immediate liberation into the supreme Brahman, or—short of final release—exercise extraordinary yogic reach to access and ‘enter’ various cosmic domains (deities, ancestors, and natural powers). The ethical implication is that such powers are secondary; the highest aim remains moksha.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and spiritual disciplines, Bhishma continues teaching about yoga and its fruits. Here he enumerates cosmic beings and regions to illustrate the scope of yogic accomplishment and the yogin’s freedom of movement across the universe.