Shloka 24
Omens and Consolation after Loss; Reaffirmation of the Saindhava Punishment Vow (उत्पात-दर्शनम्, आश्वासन-वाक्यानि, प्रतिज्ञा-स्थैर्यम्)
ततो गत्वा तु सा गड़ां महामेरुं च केवलम् । तस्थौ चाश्मेव निश्चेष्टा प्रणायामपरायणा,इसके बाद वह गंगाजीके तट और प्रमुख तीर्थ महामेरुके शिखरपर जाकर प्राणायाममें तत्पर हो प्रस्तर-मूर्तिकी भाँति निश्चेष्ट भावसे बैठी रही
tato gatvā tu sā gaṅgāṃ mahāmeruṃ ca kevalam | tasthau cāśmeva niśceṣṭā prāṇāyāmaparāyaṇā ||
ثم مضت إلى نهر الغانغا (Gaṅgā)، وإلى قمة مها ميرو (Mahāmeru) الشاهقة وحدها. وهناك، وقد انصرفت بكليّتها إلى رياضة ضبط النفس بالنَّفَس (البراناياما)، لبثت ساكنةً لا تتحرّك—كأنها حجر—مستغرقةً في زهدٍ شديد وكبحٍ للنفس.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds tapas through yogic discipline: steadfast prāṇāyāma and stillness symbolize mastery over the senses and mind. Ethically, it suggests that inner restraint and focused practice can be a dharmic response when one seeks purification, resolve, or refuge beyond outward action.
Nārada describes a woman who departs to sacred locations—Gaṅgā and the summit of Mahāmeru—and there remains utterly motionless, devoted to prāṇāyāma, as if turned to stone. The scene depicts a shift from movement to intense ascetic concentration at a tīrtha-like setting.