Shloka 37

Adhyāya 270 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on saṃnyāsa; Bhīṣma on calculable time, tamas, and karma

Vṛtra–Uśanā exemplum begins

Devanagari script

धर्मे च श्रद्धधानस्य तपस्युग्रे च वर्तत: । कालेन महता तस्य दिव्या दृष्टिरजायत

Transliteration

dharme ca śraddadhānasya tapasy ugre ca vartataḥ | kālena mahatā tasya divyā dṛṣṭir ajāyata ||

Translation

Bhīṣma berkata: Ketika dia tetap teguh—penuh keyakinan pada dharma dan tekun menjalani tapa yang keras—setelah berlalu masa yang panjang, timbullah dalam dirinya penglihatan ilahi.

Word by Word

• धर्मे: in dharma/righteousness
• धर्मे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• श्रद्धधानस्य: of the faithful (one)
• श्रद्धधानस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रद्धध
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• तपसि: in austerity
• तपसि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• उग्रे: severe, intense
• उग्रे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उग्र
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• वर्ततः: he conducts himself / he abides
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada

• कालेन: by/with time
• कालेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• महता: great, long (in duration)
• महता: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• दिव्या: divine
• दिव्या: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• दृष्टिः: vision, sight
• दृष्टिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दृष्टि
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• अजायत: arose, was born
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन्
• Form: Imperfect (Past), Third, Singular, Atmanepada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Steady faith in dharma, sustained through intense self-discipline over time, matures into higher spiritual perception—divine insight is presented as the fruit of long, ethical, and ascetic perseverance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma describes a practitioner who continues firmly in righteousness and severe austerity; after a long period, that person attains divya-dṛṣṭi—an elevated, divine mode of seeing/knowing.