Shloka 13
Bhīṣma’s Hymn to Viṣṇu and Kṛṣṇa’s Criteria for Divine Self-Disclosure
न हाभक्ताय राजेन्द्र भक्तायानृजवे न च । दर्शयाम्यहमात्मानं न चाशान्ताय भारत,अर्हस्त्वं भीष्म मां द्रष्ट तपसा स्वेन पार्थिव । तव ह्ुपस्थिता लोका येभ्यो नावर्तते पुनः भूपाल! आप अपने तपोबलसे ही मेरा दर्शन करनेके योग्य हैं। आपके लिये वे दिव्य लोक प्रस्तुत हैं जहाँसे फिर इस लोकमें नहीं आना पड़ता
na hābhaktāya rājendra bhaktāyānṛjave na ca | darśayāmy aham ātmānaṁ na cāśāntāya bhārata | arhastvaṁ bhīṣma māṁ draṣṭuṁ tapasā svena pārthiva | tava hy upasthitā lokā yebhyo nāvartate punaḥ ||
Vāyu disse: “Ó rei, não me revelo a quem não tem devoção, nem a quem, embora devoto, não é reto; tampouco me mostro ao que não tem paz interior, ó Bhārata. Mas tu, Bhīṣma, és digno de contemplar-me pelo poder da tua própria austeridade, ó soberano. Para ti, os mundos já estão preparados — esses reinos divinos dos quais, uma vez alcançados, não se retorna mais a este mundo.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Divine revelation is conditioned by inner qualifications: devotion must be joined with straightforward integrity (ārjava) and peace of mind (śānti). Austerity (tapas) grounded in these virtues makes one fit for higher realization and the attainment of realms described as ‘non-returning’ (apunarāvṛtti).
Vāyudeva addresses Bhīṣma, stating that he does not manifest to those lacking devotion, lacking rectitude, or lacking inner peace. He then affirms Bhīṣma’s eligibility—earned through his own tapas—and declares that exalted worlds are already prepared for him, from which one does not return to mortal existence.