Shloka 30
श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः
Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma
संहारविक्षेपसहसत्रकोटी - स्तिष्ठन्ति जीवा: प्रचरन्ति चान्ये । प्रजाविसर्गस्य च पारिमाण्यं वापीसहस्राणि बहूनि दैत्य
saṃhāra-vikṣepa-sahasra-koṭī-stiṣṭhanti jīvāḥ pracaranti cānye | prajā-visargasya ca pārimāṇyaṃ vāpī-sahasrāṇi bahūni daitya ||
Bhishma berkata: Wahai Daitya, dalam putaran pralaya (peleburan) dan vikṣepa (penyebaran), beribu-krores makhluk hidup tetap terhimpun, sementara yang lain bergerak dalam keberadaan. Ukuran limpahan penciptaan pun tak terperi—laksana ribuan telaga yang tak terhitung; maka menjadi dan lenyapnya dunia ini tak terukur, jangan melekat padanya sebagai sesuatu yang kekal.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses the immeasurable scale of cosmic processes—beings are continually projected into activity and withdrawn again—so worldly existence should be understood as impermanent, encouraging detachment and steadiness in dharma.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs on higher principles after the war; here he describes the vast, recurring cycles of creation and dissolution and addresses a ‘Daitya’ as part of a cosmological exposition.