Shloka 21
Saṃhāra-krama (The Sequence of Cosmic Dissolution) — Yājñavalkya’s Discourse
तद्धज्जातबलो योगी दीप्ततेजा महाबल: । अन्तकाल इवादित्य: कृत्स्नं संशोषयेज्जगत्
taddhajjātabalo yogī dīptatejā mahābalaḥ | antakāla ivādityaḥ kṛtsnaṃ saṃśoṣayej jagat ||
भीष्म उवाच—तद्वज्जातबलो योगी दीप्ततेजा महाबलः, अन्तकाल इवादित्यः कृत्स्नं संशोषयेज्जगत्; एवं स सर्वान् रागादिदोषान् संशोष्य नाशयति।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
As yogic power matures, the yogin’s inner radiance becomes strong enough to ‘dry up’ the causes of bondage—especially rāga (passion/attachment) and related दोष (faults). The verse teaches purification through disciplined practice and dispassion.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing on dharma and spiritual discipline. Here he uses a cosmic simile: just as the end-time sun dries the world, the accomplished yogin’s power dries up inner impurities, emphasizing the transformative effect of yoga.