Shloka 14
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
नभ: सचन्द्रतारं च नक्षत्राणि ग्रहांस्तथा । संवत्सरानृतून् मासान् पक्षानथ लवान् क्षणान्,चन्द्रमा तथा तारोंसहित आकाश, नक्षत्र, ग्रह, संवत्सर, ऋतु, मास, पक्ष, लव और क्षणोंकी सृष्टि भी उन्होंने ही की
nabhaḥ sacandratāraṃ ca nakṣatrāṇi grahāṃs tathā | saṃvatsarān ṛtūn māsān pakṣān atha lavān kṣaṇān ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Dialah sahaja yang mencipta langit bersama bulan dan bintang-bintang; rasi bintang dan planet-planet; serta ukuran-ukuran waktu—tahun, musim, bulan, paruh bulan, bahkan pembahagian yang paling halus seperti lava dan detik.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the cosmic order—including celestial bodies and the full hierarchy of time-units from years down to moments—originates from the supreme Creator. Recognizing this grounds dharma in an objective, divinely instituted order rather than mere human preference.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on higher principles after the war. Here he enumerates elements of creation—sky, moon, stars, constellations, planets, and divisions of time—to emphasize the Creator’s sovereignty and the structured nature of the universe.