Shloka 8
Suvarṇa-dāna: Kārttikeya’s Origin and the Defeat of Tāraka (सुवर्णदान-प्रसङ्गे कार्त्तिकेय-उत्पत्ति तथा तारकवधः)
अथर्षय: सगन्धर्वा: किन्नरोरगराक्षसा: । देवासुरसुपर्णाश्न प्रजानां पतयस्तथा
atha ṛṣayaḥ sa-gandharvāḥ kinnaroraga-rākṣasāḥ | devāsura-suparṇāś ca prajānāṁ patayas tathā, kuntīnandana |
Bhishma berkata: “Kemudian, wahai putra Kunti, para resi—bersama para Gandharwa, Kinnara, Naga, Rakshasa, para dewa, para Asura, kaum Suparna (bangsa Garuda), serta para penguasa makhluk (Prajapati)—semuanya hadir di sana.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
By portraying a gathering of sages and multiple classes of beings, the text signals that the forthcoming discussion concerns dharma and cosmic order—matters validated by universal witnesses rather than private opinion.
Bhīṣma transitions into a scene-description: an all-encompassing assembly of beings is present (setting the stage for a significant question or instruction to follow), and he addresses Yudhiṣṭhira as ‘son of Kuntī’.