Shloka 52
Adhyāya 136: Yavakrī–Bharadvāja Saṃvāda and the Bāladhī–Dhanuṣākṣa Gāthā
Arrogance, Boons, and Nimitta
धनुषाक्षस्तु तं दृष्टयवा मेधाविनमनामयम् । निमित्तमस्य महिषैभेंदयामास वीर्यवान्,शक्तिशाली धनुषाक्षने ध्यानमें देखा कि मेधावी रोग एवं मृत्युसे रहित है। तब उसकी आयुके निमित्तभूत पर्वतोंको उन्होंने भैंसोंद्वारा विदीर्ण करा दिया
dhanuṣākṣas tu taṁ dṛṣṭvā medhāvinaṁ anāmayam | nimittam asya mahiṣair bhedayām āsa vīryavān śaktiśālī ||
Bharadvāja berkata: Melihat Medhāvin bebas dari penyakit dan berada di luar jangkauan maut, Dhanuṣākṣa yang perkasa dan kuat, demi mencari jalan untuk mengakhiri hidupnya, menyuruh kerbau-kerbau membelah gunung-gunung yang menjadi sebab panjangnya usia Medhāvin.
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even extraordinary freedom from illness or death is portrayed as depending on specific causes (nimitta). When those supports are attacked, worldly security collapses—highlighting the Mahābhārata’s emphasis on impermanence and the ethical danger of envy-driven power.
Bharadvāja narrates that Dhanuṣākṣa observes Medhāvin’s unusual condition—healthy and deathless—and then seeks a way to undermine it. He has the mountains connected with Medhāvin’s lifespan split apart using buffaloes, aiming to create the condition for Medhāvin’s downfall.