Shloka 17
Adhyāya 180: Jīva, Śarīra, and the Fire Analogy (भृगु–भरद्वाज संवादः)
दिवि संचरमाणानि हस्वानि च महान्ति च । ज्योतींष्यपि यथाकालं पतमानानि लक्षये,“आकाशमें जो छोटे-बड़े ज्योतिर्मय नक्षत्र विचर रहे हैं, उन्हें भी मैं यथासमय नीचे गिरते देखता हूँ
divi sañcaramāṇāni hrasvāni ca mahānti ca | jyotīṁṣy api yathākālaṁ patamānāni lakṣaye ||
मैं आकाश में विचरनेवाले छोटे-बड़े ज्योतिर्मय नक्षत्रों को भी देखता हूँ, और उन्हें भी यथाकाल नीचे गिरते हुए लक्षित करता हूँ।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That even what seems most stable and exalted—celestial lights—follows the law of time: arising, moving, and eventually falling. The verse points toward vairāgya (detachment) and sober reflection on impermanence under Kāla.
Bhishma reports ominous observations: he notices stars or luminous celestial bodies moving in the sky and, at their destined times, falling. Such imagery functions as a sign of change and decline, reinforcing the gravity of the moment in his instruction.