Shloka 46
अग्नीषोमोत्पत्तिः
Agni–Soma Origin and the Brahmāgnīṣomīya Doctrine
यस्मिन् पारिप्लवा दिव्या वहन्त्यापो विहायसा । पुण्यं चाकाशगज़जायास्तोयं विष्टभ्य तिष्ठति
yasmin pāriplavā divyā vahanty āpo vihāyasā | puṇyaṃ cākāśagaṅgāyās toyaṃ viṣṭabhya tiṣṭhati |
Bhishma décrit une forme particulière et victorieuse du principe du vent : «ce soutien dans le ciel grâce auquel les eaux divines s’écoulent là-haut, et par lequel l’eau sainte du Gange céleste est portée et maintenue en son lieu. Ainsi l’ordre du cosmos est-il gardé par des forces subtiles, invisibles, mais gouvernées par le Dharma.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that the cosmos is sustained by subtle, orderly supports: divine waters and sacred celestial streams remain in their courses because a specific wind-principle upholds them. Ethically, it reinforces the Shanti Parva theme that stability and flourishing depend on unseen but lawful (dharmic) structures of support.
Bhishma is enumerating and characterizing types of wind (vāyu) and their cosmic functions. Here he points to the wind that supports the heavenly waters and the celestial Ganga, describing its role as a sustaining force in the sky.