Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 29
धर्मस्य बहुद्वारत्वम् — Nārada’s Audience with Indra (Śānti-parva 340)
जगत्प्रतिष्ठा देवर्षे पृथिव्यप्सु प्रलीयते । ज्योतिष्याप: प्रलीयन्ते ज्योतिर्वायौ प्रलीयते
jagatpratiṣṭhā devarṣe pṛthivy apsu pralīyate | jyotiṣy āpaḥ pralīyante jyotir vāyau pralīyate |
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô voyant divin, la terre—sur laquelle repose le monde entier—se dissout dans l’eau. L’eau, à son tour, est absorbée dans la lumière (le feu), et cette lumière est absorbée dans le vent. Ainsi, ce qui paraît le plus solide et le plus sûr se révèle conditionné, s’acheminant vers des principes plus subtils lors de la dissolution cosmique.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma highlights the impermanence of even the world’s apparent foundations: earth dissolves into water, water into light/fire, and light into wind. The ethical implication in Śānti Parva is to cultivate detachment and clarity—recognizing that worldly supports are transient and that wisdom lies in aligning oneself with the deeper order beyond changing forms.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to the inquiring sage (addressed as ‘devarṣi’), Bhīṣma explains a cosmological sequence of dissolution (pralaya), moving from gross to subtler elements. The verse is part of a didactic exposition rather than an action scene, using elemental absorption to ground teachings on renunciation and insight.