Shloka 18
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
ताभ्यो विश्वानि भूतानि देवा: पितृगणास्तथा । गन्धर्वाप्सरसश्ैव रक्षांसि विविधानि च
tābhyo viśvāni bhūtāni devāḥ pitṛgaṇās tathā | gandharvāpsarasaś caiva rakṣāṃsi vividhāni ca ||
ਭੀਸ਼ਮ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ—ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਕੁਆਰੀਆਂ ਤੋਂ ਹੀ ਸੰਸਾਰ ਦੇ ਸਭ ਜੀਵ ਜੰਮੇ; ਦੇਵਤੇ ਅਤੇ ਪਿਤਰ-ਗਣ ਵੀ, ਅਤੇ ਗੰਧਰਵ, ਅਪਸਰਾਵਾਂ ਤੇ ਨਾਨਾ ਪ੍ਰਕਾਰ ਦੇ ਰਾਖਸ਼ਸ ਵੀ।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a unified origin for diverse classes of beings, implying a cosmos governed by intelligible order. Ethically, it supports the Shānti Parva’s broader vision that dharma is grounded in understanding the interconnected structure of life and the world.
Bhīṣma is describing a genealogy of creation: from certain ‘maidens’ (previously introduced in the chapter) arise all beings—gods, ancestors, celestial performers, and various Rākṣasas—continuing a larger account of how the world’s categories of life came to be.