Shloka 18
Śara-śayyā-sthita-bhīṣma-saṃvāda-prastāvaḥ
The Prelude to Questioning Bhīṣma on the Bed of Arrows
यच्च भूतं भविष्यच्च भवच्च परमसद्युते । तत् सर्वमनुपश्यामि पाणौ फलमिवार्पितम्
yac ca bhūtaṁ bhaviṣyac ca bhavac ca paramasadyute | tat sarvam anupaśyāmi pāṇau phalam ivārpitam, parama tejasvī puruṣottama |
بھیشم نے کہا—اے نہایت درخشاں، اے پُرشوتّم! اب میں ماضی، مستقبل اور حال—تینوں زمانوں کی سب باتیں یوں صاف دیکھ رہا ہوں جیسے ہتھیلی پر رکھا ہوا پھل۔
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the clarity of higher knowledge: when true insight arises, the flow of time—past, present, and future—can be comprehended with immediacy and certainty, like an object plainly visible in one’s palm. Ethically, it suggests that dharmic counsel is grounded in a vision that transcends narrow, momentary perception.
Bhishma, speaking in the Shanti Parva, addresses a supremely radiant ‘Puruṣottama’ and declares that he can now perceive all events across the three times with complete clarity, using the simile of a fruit placed on the hand to convey direct, unmistakable apprehension.