Shloka 18
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
ताभ्यो विश्वानि भूतानि देवा: पितृगणास्तथा । गन्धर्वाप्सरसश्ैव रक्षांसि विविधानि च
tābhyo viśvāni bhūtāni devāḥ pitṛgaṇās tathā | gandharvāpsarasaś caiva rakṣāṃsi vividhāni ca ||
Bhīṣma nói: “Từ những thiếu nữ ấy mà sinh ra mọi loài hữu tình trong vũ trụ—cũng như chư thiên và các bầy Pitṛ (tổ linh), cùng với Gandharva và Apsaras, và muôn loại Rākṣasa.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a unified origin for diverse classes of beings, implying a cosmos governed by intelligible order. Ethically, it supports the Shānti Parva’s broader vision that dharma is grounded in understanding the interconnected structure of life and the world.
Bhīṣma is describing a genealogy of creation: from certain ‘maidens’ (previously introduced in the chapter) arise all beings—gods, ancestors, celestial performers, and various Rākṣasas—continuing a larger account of how the world’s categories of life came to be.