Shloka 116
समतीतानि राजेन्द्र सर्गाश्न प्रलयाश्व ह । सर्गस्यादौ स्मृतो ब्रह्मा प्रजासर्गकर: प्रभु:,भीष्मजीने कहा--राजेन्द्र! अबतक सैकड़ों और हजारों महाकल्प बीत चुके हैं, कितने ही सर्ग और प्रलय समाप्त हो चुके हैं। सर्गके आरम्भमें ब्रह्माजी ही प्रजावर्गके सृष्टिकर्ता माने गये हैं
samatītāni rājendra sargāś ca pralayāś ca ha | sargasya ādau smṛto brahmā prajā-sarga-karaḥ prabhuḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “O king, countless ages have already passed—many creations and dissolutions have come to an end. At the beginning of each creation, Brahmā is remembered as the sovereign lord who brings forth the multitude of beings.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames reality as cyclical—repeated creations and dissolutions—and grounds cosmological knowledge in received tradition: Brahmā is acknowledged as the primary agent of generating beings at the start of creation.
Bhīṣma is instructing the king, shifting to a cosmic perspective: he notes innumerable past cycles of creation and dissolution and identifies Brahmā as the recognized creator of living beings at the commencement of each cycle.