Shloka 15
Bhīṣma’s Hymn to Viṣṇu and Kṛṣṇa’s Criteria for Divine Self-Disclosure
एते हि देवा वसवो विमाना- न्यास्थाय सर्वे ज्वलिताग्निकल्पा: | अन्तर्हितास्त्वां प्रतिपालयन्ति काष्ठां प्रपद्यन्तमुदक्पतज्भम्
ete hi devā vasavo vimānāny āsthāya sarve jvalitāgnikalpāḥ | antarhitās tvāṃ pratipālayanti kāṣṭhāṃ prapadyantam udakpatagbhām ||
これらの神々——ヴァスたち——は皆、天の車に乗り、燃え立つ火のごとく輝いている。彼らは天空に姿を隠し、汝が北の道へと進むとき見守りつつ、定められたその方角に汝が至るのを待っている。
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames human movement toward a destined ‘direction/time’ as being overseen by cosmic powers: divine forces remain vigilant and supportive when one proceeds in alignment with the larger order (ṛta/dharma), suggesting that right timing and right orientation are ethically and spiritually significant.
Vāyudeva describes how the Vasus and other gods, radiant like fire and seated in their celestial vehicles, stay hidden in the sky while watching and waiting for the addressed person to reach the northern course/quarter—an image associated with auspicious transition and a divinely witnessed passage.