Shloka 44
Adhyāya 270 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on saṃnyāsa; Bhīṣma on calculable time, tamas, and karma
Vṛtra–Uśanā exemplum begins
ततो राजसहस््राणि मग्नानि निरये तदा । दूरादपश्यद् विप्र: स दिव्ययुक्तेन चक्षुषा,तब उस ब्राह्मणने दूरसे ही अपने दिव्य नेत्रोंसे देखा कि सहस्रों राजा नरकमें डूबे हुए हैं
tato rāja-sahasrāṇi magnāni niraye tadā | dūrād apaśyad vipraḥ sa divya-yuktena cakṣuṣā ||
Тогда брахман издали, божественным зрением, наделённым силой, увидел тысячи царей, погружённых в ад. Это зрелище подчёркивает нравственное следствие царского поведения: мирская власть и слава не ограждают от плодов адхармы, и даже правители судимы по этической тяжести своих деяний.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even kings are not exempt from moral law: power and status cannot cancel karma. Unrighteous rule and harmful deeds can lead to severe consequences, and the text uses the vision of kings in hell to stress accountability and the necessity of dharma in governance.
Bhīṣma describes a brāhmaṇa who, using divinely empowered sight, sees from a distance thousands of kings submerged in hell. The episode functions as a warning-example within the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct and the results of adharma.