Shloka 5
गोप्रदानगुणाः तथा कपिलागोविधानम्
Merits of Cow-Gift and the Origin-Account of Kapilā Cows
ते तु लोका: सहस्राक्ष शृणु यादृग्गुणान्विता: । न तत्र क्रमते कालो न जरा न च पावकः
te tu lokāḥ sahasrākṣa śṛṇu yādṛg-guṇānvitāḥ | na tatra kramate kālo na jarā na ca pāvakaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : « Ô Sahasrākṣa (Indra), écoute ce que sont ces mondes, pourvus de telles qualités. Là, le Temps n’avance pas pour dominer les êtres ; il n’y a ni vieillesse ni déclin, et même le feu n’y a aucune puissance. »
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the distinctive nature of exalted realms attained through merit: they are described as free from the ordinary afflictions of embodied life—time’s destructive progression, old age, and even the consuming power of fire—suggesting a state of protected, refined existence that contrasts with mortal vulnerability.
Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha) addresses Indra (Sahasrākṣa) and begins describing the qualities of certain worlds (lokas). He emphasizes that in those realms, the usual forces that govern earthly life—time, aging, and fire—do not prevail.