Shloka 16
त्रिवर्गमूलनिश्चयः — Determining the Roots of Dharma, Artha, and Kāma
Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 123
स गर्भ शिरसा देवो बहुवर्षाण्यधारयत् । पूर्णे वर्षमहस्रे तु स गर्भ: क्षुवतोडपतत्
sa garbhaśirasā devo bahuvarṣāṇy adhārayat | pūrṇe varṣasahasre tu sa garbhaḥ kṣuvatodapatat ||
Wika ni Vasuharoma: “Ang banal na nilalang na iyon ay nagdala ng binhi ng sanggol sa ibabaw ng kanyang ulo sa loob ng maraming taon. Ngunit nang lumipas ang ganap na isang libong taon, dumulas ito pababa at nahulog nang siya’y bumahing—ipinapakita na kahit ang matagal na naingatan ay maaaring mapakawalan sa isang iglap kapag nagsanib ang panahon at bugso ng katawan.”
वसुहरोम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the power of time (kāla) and the inevitability of release: even something sustained for an immense duration can be undone suddenly by a small bodily act, suggesting that outcomes mature when their time is complete rather than merely by prolonged effort.
Vasuharoma narrates a marvel: a divine being carries an embryo on his head for many years; after a full thousand years, during a sneeze, the embryo slips and falls out—marking the moment of its emergence.