Shloka 12
अध्याय ३२३ — श्वेतद्वीपगमनम्, यज्ञभाग-विवादः, एकान्तिभक्त्या नारायणदर्शन-नियमः (Śvetadvīpa Journey; Dispute over Sacrificial Share; Rule of Nārāyaṇa-vision through Single-minded Devotion)
शैलराजसुता चैव देवी तत्राभवत् पुरा । तत्र दिव्यं तपस्तेपे कृष्णद्वैयायनस्तदा
śailarājasutā caiva devī tatrābhavat purā | tatra divyaṃ tapastepe kṛṣṇadvaipāyanas tadā ||
Bhīṣma sprach: An jenem Ort war einst tatsächlich die Göttin zugegen—die Tochter des Herrn der Berge. Und ebendort, zu jener Zeit, vollzog Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa) eine göttliche Askese.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the sanctity of a place made holy by both divine presence (Umā/Pārvatī) and intense tapas (Vyāsa). Ethically, it underscores reverence for spiritual discipline and the idea that dharma is strengthened where self-restraint and devotion are practiced.
Bhīṣma describes an earlier time at a particular sacred location: the goddess, the mountain-king’s daughter (Umā), was there, and Vyāsa was simultaneously engaged in divine austerities at that very place.