Shloka 17
स पौराणी ब्रह्मागुहां प्रविष्टो महीसत्र भारताग्रे ददर्श । स चैव गामुद्दधाराग्रयकर्मा विक्षोभ्य दैत्यानुरगान् दानवांश्ष॒
sa paurāṇī brahmāguhāṁ praviṣṭo mahīsatra bhāratāgre dadarśa | sa caiva gām uddadhārāgryakarmā vikṣobhya daityān uragān dānavāṁś ca, bhārata |
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai yang utama di antara keturunan Bharata! Ia memasuki gua purba milik Brahmā dan menyaksikan bumi luluh ke dalam samudra pralaya. Dan Śrī Kṛṣṇa yang sama—pelaksana tertinggi karya penciptaan—setelah mengguncang para Daitya, Dānava, dan bangsa ular, mengangkat bumi dari kedalaman alam bawah.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents Kṛṣṇa as the supreme restorer of cosmic balance: when the world is submerged in dissolution, the divine power intervenes to raise and stabilize the earth. Ethically, it implies that the highest authority is that which protects the world and re-establishes dharma amid chaos.
Bhīṣma recounts a primeval episode: Kṛṣṇa enters Brahmā’s ancient, secret cave and witnesses the earth’s submergence in waters (pralaya-like condition). He then agitates the hostile beings—Daityas, Dānavas, and serpent races—and lifts the earth up from the nether regions, restoring it.