Adhyāya 136: Yavakrī–Bharadvāja Saṃvāda and the Bāladhī–Dhanuṣākṣa Gāthā
Arrogance, Boons, and Nimitta
न दिष्टमर्थमत्येतुमीशो मर्त्य: कथंचन । महिषैभेंदयामास धनुषाक्षो महीधरान्,“मरणधर्मा मनुष्य किसी तरह दैवके विधानका उल्लंघन नहीं कर सकता, तभी तो धनुषाक्षने उस बालककी आयुके निमित्तभूत पर्वतोंका भैंसोंद्वारा भेदन करा दिया”
na diṣṭam artham atyetuṁ īśo martyaḥ kathaṁcana | mahiṣai bhindayāmāsa dhanuṣākṣo mahīdharān |
Wika ni Bharadvāja: “Walang mortal, gaano man kalakas, ang makalalampas sa itinakda ng tadhana. Kaya nga si Dhanuṣākṣa ay nagpagawa na ang mga bundok—na siyang sanhi ng itinakdang haba ng buhay ng batang iyon—ay butasin at biyakin ng mga kalabaw.”
भरद्वाज उवाच
The verse emphasizes the inviolability of what is divinely ordained (diṣṭa/daiva): even a powerful human cannot override destiny; events unfold through appointed causes.
Bharadvāja explains that because destiny cannot be crossed, Dhanuṣākṣa arranged for mountains—connected with the determining cause of a boy’s lifespan—to be pierced by buffaloes, illustrating how fate works through concrete instruments.