Shloka 51
Devaśarmā–Vipula Dialogue on Ahorātra–Ṛtu as Moral Witnesses (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय ४३)
एवमेव शरीरे<5स्या निवत्स्यामि समाहित: । असक्तः पद्मपत्रस्थो जलबिन्दुर्यथथाचल:
evam eva śarīre 'syā nivatsyāmi samāhitaḥ | asaktaḥ padmapatra-stho jalabindur yathācalāḥ ||
Bhishma sprach: «So werde ich in ihrem Körper verweilen, im Yoga gesammelt. Unangehaftet—wie ein Wassertropfen auf dem Lotusblatt, der nicht haftet—werde ich dort bleiben, ohne befleckt zu werden.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches asaṅga (non-attachment): one may be present amid powerful circumstances, yet remain inwardly pure and untainted—like water on a lotus leaf—through yogic composure and self-mastery.
Bhīṣma describes an intended act of entering and dwelling within a woman’s body through yogic power, emphasizing that he will do so with a concentrated mind and without desire or moral taint, illustrating the ideal of disciplined detachment.