Shloka 48
Adhyāya 136: Yavakrī–Bharadvāja Saṃvāda and the Bāladhī–Dhanuṣākṣa Gāthā
Arrogance, Boons, and Nimitta
बालधिरुवाच यथेमे पर्वता: शश्वत् तिष्ठन्ति सुरसत्तमा: । अक्षयास्तन्निमित्तं मे सुतस्यायुर्भविष्यति,बालधि बोले--देववरो! जैसे ये पर्वत सदा अक्षयभावसे खड़े रहते हैं, वैसे ही मेरा पुत्र भी सदा अक्षय बना रहे। ये पर्वत ही उसकी आयुके निमित्त होंगे अर्थात् जबतक ये पर्वत यहाँ बने रहें तबतक मेरा पुत्र भी जीवित रहे
bāladhir uvāca | yatheme parvatāḥ śaśvat tiṣṭhanti surasattamāḥ | akṣayās tan-nimittaṃ me sutasya āyur bhaviṣyati ||
Sinabi ni Bāladhi: “O pinakadakila sa mga diyos! Kung paanong ang mga bundok na ito’y nakatayo magpakailanman, matatag at di-nasisira, gayon din nawa ang aking anak ay manatiling ligtas at di-nauubos. Gawin nawa ang mga bundok na ito ang mismong kundisyon ng kanyang buhay—habang nananatili rito ang mga bundok, gayon katagal siya mabubuhay.”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a common epic motif: a boon framed through a stable natural symbol. By tying a child’s lifespan to the enduring mountains, the speaker expresses the ethical impulse of protection and the belief that blessings can be anchored to an external, lasting condition.
Bāladhi addresses a supreme divine being and petitions for his son’s long life. He asks that the son’s lifespan be linked to the permanence of the surrounding mountains—so that the son lives as long as those mountains remain.