Shloka 19
Vyaktāvyakta-Viveka and Nivṛtti as Paramā Gati
Manifest–Unmanifest Discrimination and the Supreme Path of Withdrawal
युगान्ते5न्तर्हितान् वेदान् सेतिहासान् महर्षय: । लेभिरे तपसा पूर्वमनुज्ञाता: स्वयम्भुवा
Bhīṣma uvāca | yugānte 'ntarhitān vedān setihāsān maharṣayaḥ | lebhire tapasā pūrvam anujñātāḥ svayambhuvā ||
毗湿摩说道：在一劫将尽之时，吠陀连同《伊提哈萨》（古传史诗）隐没不现；诸大圣仙得自生造物主（Svayambhū）许可，于新轮回之初，凭苦行（tapas）之力首先将其复得。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sacred knowledge can become obscured during cosmic decline, but it is restored through tapas (disciplined spiritual effort) when aligned with rightful authority (here, Svayambhū). This frames preservation of dharma as both a divine trust and a human responsibility carried by seers.
Bhīṣma explains a cosmological tradition: at the end of a yuga the Vedas and Itihāsas become hidden, and at the start of the next cycle the maharṣis, authorized by the Self-born Creator, recover them through austerity—re-establishing the foundations for dharma and teaching.