Shloka 16

Bhīṣma’s Hymn to Viṣṇu and Kṛṣṇa’s Criteria for Divine Self-Disclosure

Devanagari script

व्यावर्तमाने भगवत्युदीचीं सूर्ये दिशं कालवशात्‌ प्रपन्ने । गन्तासि लोकान्‌ पुरुषप्रवीर नावर्तते यानुपलभ्य विद्वान्‌,पुरुषोंमें प्रमुख वीर! जब भगवान्‌ सूर्य कालवश दक्षिणायनसे लौटते हुए उत्तर दिशाके मार्गपर लौटेंगे, उस समय आप उन्हीं लोकोंमें जाइयेगा जहाँ जाकर ज्ञानी पुरुष फिर इस संसारमें नहीं लौटते हैं

Transliteration

vyāvartamāne bhagavaty udīcīṁ sūrye diśaṁ kālavaśāt prapanne | gantāsi lokān puruṣapravīra nāvartate yān upalabhya vidvān ||

Translation

Vāyu berkata: “Wahai wira terunggul antara manusia, apabila Surya yang mulia, didorong oleh Kala (Waktu), berpaling dan memasuki haluan utara, maka pada saat itu engkau akan berangkat ke dunia-dunia itu—alam yang setelah dicapai oleh orang bijaksana, mereka tidak kembali lagi ke alam fana ini.”

Word by Word

• {'vyāvartamāne': 'when turning back, reversing course', 'bhagavati': 'in/when the blessed one (here: the Sun as a divine being)', 'udīcīm diśam': 'the northern direction

• the northward course', 'sūrye': 'the Sun', 'kālavaśāt': 'under the power of Time

• by destiny/inevitability', 'prapanne': 'having entered, having resorted to', 'gantāsi': 'you will go

• you shall depart', 'lokān': 'worlds, realms of existence', 'puruṣa-pravīra': 'foremost hero among men', 'na āvartate': 'does not return', 'yān': 'which (worlds)', 'upalabhya': 'having attained, having realized', 'vidvān': 'a wise/knowing person'}

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyu (Wind-god)
• Sūrya (Sun-god)
• udīcī diś (northern direction)
• kāla (Time/Destiny)
• lokāḥ (realms/worlds)
• puruṣapravīra (addressed hero)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse links spiritual departure to cosmic timing: when the Sun enters the northward course (uttarāyaṇa), the hero is instructed to go to the highest realms—those from which the wise do not return—signaling liberation or a final, non-returning attainment beyond rebirth.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu addresses a celebrated human hero and gives a directive about the proper moment of departure: when the Sun, driven by the force of Time, turns toward the northern path, the hero should proceed to the transcendent worlds associated with non-return.