Shloka 19
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
यौ तौ कामगुणोपेतावद्चिनौ भिषजां वरौ । आज्ञयाहं तयो: प्राप्त: सनरान् पितृदैवतान्
yau tau kāmaguṇopetau aśvinau bhiṣajāṃ varau | ājñayāhaṃ tayoḥ prāptaḥ sa-narān pitṛ-daivatān ||
„Jene beiden — die Aśvin-Zwillinge, die Ersten unter den Ärzten und mit anmutigen Eigenschaften begabt — auf ihren Befehl bin ich hierher gekommen, zu den Göttern, zu den Pitṛ (Ahnen) und zu den Menschen.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights rightful deference to legitimate authority: Bhishma acts under the command of revered divine physicians (the Ashvins), suggesting that dharmic action often proceeds through sanctioned guidance rather than personal impulse.
Bhishma identifies the Ashvin twins as eminent healers and explains that, following their instruction, he has come into the presence of multiple orders of beings—gods, ancestors (Pitrs), and humans—indicating a message or mission spanning cosmic and social realms.