Shloka 21
Saṃhāra-krama (The Sequence of Cosmic Dissolution) — Yājñavalkya’s Discourse
तद्धज्जातबलो योगी दीप्ततेजा महाबल: । अन्तकाल इवादित्य: कृत्स्नं संशोषयेज्जगत्
taddhajjātabalo yogī dīptatejā mahābalaḥ | antakāla ivādityaḥ kṛtsnaṃ saṃśoṣayej jagat ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Quand la puissance d’un yogin s’est ainsi levée et accrue, il se trouve doté d’une radiance spirituelle flamboyante et d’une grande force. Alors, tel le soleil au temps de la dissolution cosmique qui dessèche le monde entier, il dessèche et détruit toutes les fautes, telles que la passion et l’attachement, brûlant jusqu’à la racine les liens intérieurs.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
As yogic power matures, the yogin’s inner radiance becomes strong enough to ‘dry up’ the causes of bondage—especially rāga (passion/attachment) and related दोष (faults). The verse teaches purification through disciplined practice and dispassion.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing on dharma and spiritual discipline. Here he uses a cosmic simile: just as the end-time sun dries the world, the accomplished yogin’s power dries up inner impurities, emphasizing the transformative effect of yoga.