Shloka 44
Adhyāya 270 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on saṃnyāsa; Bhīṣma on calculable time, tamas, and karma
Vṛtra–Uśanā exemplum begins
ततो राजसहस््राणि मग्नानि निरये तदा । दूरादपश्यद् विप्र: स दिव्ययुक्तेन चक्षुषा,तब उस ब्राह्मणने दूरसे ही अपने दिव्य नेत्रोंसे देखा कि सहस्रों राजा नरकमें डूबे हुए हैं
tato rāja-sahasrāṇi magnāni niraye tadā | dūrād apaśyad vipraḥ sa divya-yuktena cakṣuṣā ||
其时，那婆罗门以具神力之天眼自远处望见：成千上万的国王沉没于地狱之中。此景昭示王者行止之道德果报：世间的权势与名声并不能遮护人免于不法（adharma）之果；即便统治者，也要按其行为的伦理分量而受裁断。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even kings are not exempt from moral law: power and status cannot cancel karma. Unrighteous rule and harmful deeds can lead to severe consequences, and the text uses the vision of kings in hell to stress accountability and the necessity of dharma in governance.
Bhīṣma describes a brāhmaṇa who, using divinely empowered sight, sees from a distance thousands of kings submerged in hell. The episode functions as a warning-example within the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct and the results of adharma.