Shloka 48
धर्मद्वारबहुत्वविमर्शः — Reflection on the Many ‘Doors’ of Dharma (Śānti-parva 342)
सूर्यस्य तपतो लोकानग्ने: सोमस्य चाप्युत । अंशवो यत् प्रकाशन्ते ममैते केशसंज्ञिता:
sūryasya tapato lokān agneḥ somasya cāpy uta | aṃśavo yat prakāśante mamaite keśasaṃjñitāḥ ||
Arjuna berkata: “Daripada Matahari yang menyala-nyala memanaskan segala alam, daripada Api, dan juga daripada Bulan—sinar-sinar yang memancar itu: benarkah semuanya disebut ‘rambutku’?”
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a contemplative question about how cosmic radiance (the rays of the Sun, Fire, and Moon) can be understood as parts of a greater being—suggesting a vision where natural forces are not separate but expressions of an all-encompassing reality.
Arjuna, in a dialogic setting, asks for clarification: he wonders whether the shining rays seen in the Sun, Fire, and Moon are to be identified as ‘hairs’ (keśa) of the addressed supreme form—testing and confirming the symbolic mapping between the cosmos and the divine body.