Chapter 85: Suvarṇasya Janma ca Pradāna-Phalam
The Origin of Gold and the Merit of Gifting
महठुग्रं तपः कृत्वा मां निषेवन्ति मानवा: । देवदानवगन्धर्वा: पिशाचोरगराक्षसा:,देवता, दानव, गन्धर्व, पिशाच, नाग, राक्षस और मनुष्य बड़ी उग्र तपस्या करके मेरी सेवाका सौभाग्य प्राप्त करते हैं
bhīṣma uvāca | mahad ugraṁ tapaḥ kṛtvā māṁ niṣevanti mānavāḥ | devadānavagandharvāḥ piśācoragarākṣasāḥ ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Nachdem sie große und furchtbare Askese (tapas) geübt haben, suchen die Menschen mich auf und dienen mir; ebenso erlangen Götter, Asuras, Gandharvas, Piśācas, Nāgas und Rākṣasas das Glück, mir dienen zu dürfen.“
भीष्म उवाच
Intense tapas (disciplined austerity) and sincere service are presented as universally efficacious spiritual means: beings of many orders—humans and non-humans alike—gain the privilege of serving the revered figure through sustained ascetic effort.
Bhīṣma, in his instructional discourse, emphasizes his exalted status as an object of reverent approach: various classes of beings perform severe austerities and then ‘resort to’ or ‘serve’ him, illustrating the power of tapas and the broad reach of dharmic striving.