Shloka 16
त्रिवर्गमूलनिश्चयः — Determining the Roots of Dharma, Artha, and Kāma
Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 123
स गर्भ शिरसा देवो बहुवर्षाण्यधारयत् । पूर्णे वर्षमहस्रे तु स गर्भ: क्षुवतोडपतत्
sa garbhaśirasā devo bahuvarṣāṇy adhārayat | pūrṇe varṣasahasre tu sa garbhaḥ kṣuvatodapatat ||
ヴァスハローマは言った。「その神なる存在は、胎（たい）を頭上に載せ、幾年も抱え保っていた。だが満ちて千年となったとき、くしゃみとともに胎は滑り落ち、外へと落下した――時と身体の衝動が合するとき、久しく支えられたものですら一瞬にして放たれうることを示すのである。」
वसुहरोम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the power of time (kāla) and the inevitability of release: even something sustained for an immense duration can be undone suddenly by a small bodily act, suggesting that outcomes mature when their time is complete rather than merely by prolonged effort.
Vasuharoma narrates a marvel: a divine being carries an embryo on his head for many years; after a full thousand years, during a sneeze, the embryo slips and falls out—marking the moment of its emergence.