Shloka 38
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
चन्द्रमा विमल॑ व्योम यथाभ्युदिततारकम् । विकीर्याग्निं तथा भूतमुत्थितं श्रूयते तदा
candramā vimalaṃ vyoma yathābhyuditatārakam | vikīryāgniṃ tathā bhūtam utthitaṃ śrūyate tadā ||
भीष्म उवाच—यथा विमले व्योम्नि तारकाभ्युदिते चन्द्रमा उदेति, तथा तस्मिन् काले तत्र यज्ञमण्डपेऽग्निं सर्वतो विकीर्य भयंकरं भूतमुत्थितं श्रूयते; एषा घोरतर घटना मया ऋषीणां मुखात् श्रुता।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how ritual space and moral order (dharma) are portrayed as sensitive to disturbance: a sacrificial setting, meant for auspicious order, becomes the stage for a fearful manifestation. It also signals the Mahābhārata’s reliance on transmitted testimony—‘it is said/heard’—to frame extraordinary events within respected tradition.
Bhīṣma describes (as heard from sages) a terrifying incident: in a sacrificial arena, a dreadful spirit-being arises after scattering the sacred fire. The emergence is likened to the moon appearing in a clear sky once the stars are visible, emphasizing sudden, striking visibility.