Shloka 13
Adhyāya 270 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on saṃnyāsa; Bhīṣma on calculable time, tamas, and karma
Vṛtra–Uśanā exemplum begins
ततः स ब्राह्मण: स्वप्ने कुण्डधारस्य तेजसा । अपश्यत् सर्वभूतानि कुशेषु शयितस्तदा,तदनन्तर वह ब्राह्मण कुण्डधारके तेजसे प्रेरित हो कुशोंकी शय्यापर सो गया और स्वप्रमें उसने समस्त प्राणियोंको देखा
tataḥ sa brāhmaṇaḥ svapne kuṇḍadhārasya tejasā | apaśyat sarvabhūtāni kuśeṣu śayitas tadā ||
Entonces aquel brāhmaṇa, movido por el resplandor espiritual de Kuṇḍadhāra, se recostó sobre un lecho de hierba kuśa. En el estado del sueño contempló a todos los seres vivientes.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse points to inner vision born from tapas and spiritual influence: when the mind is quieted (symbolized by lying on kuśa) and touched by tejas, one may perceive the unity and interrelatedness of all beings—an ethical basis for compassion and restraint.
Bhīṣma narrates that a brāhmaṇa, prompted by Kuṇḍadhāra’s spiritual radiance, lies on a bed of kuśa grass and, in a dream, gains a vision of all creatures.