Shloka 17
Adhyāya 152 — Bhīṣma’s Authorization for Yudhiṣṭhira’s Return to the Capital (नगरप्रवेशानुज्ञा)
भूतनाथ! स्त्री सदा स्त्रीका ही अनुसरण करती है। मेरे ऐसा करनेसे ये श्रेष्ठ सरिताएँ मेरे द्वारा सम्मानित होंगी ।। एषा सरस्वती पुण्या नदीनामुत्तमा नदी । प्रथमा सर्वसरितां नदी सागरगामिनी,(यमुना नर्मदां चैव कावेरीमथ निम्नगाम) ये नदियोंमें उत्तम पुण्यसलिला सरस्वती विराजमान हैं, जो समुद्रमें मिली हुई हैं। ये समस्त सरिताओंमें प्रथम (प्रधान) मानी जाती हैं। इनके सिवा विपाशा (व्यास), वितस्ता (झेलम), चन्द्रभागा (चनाव), इरावती (रावी), शतद्रू (शतलज), देविका, सिन्धु, कौशिकी (कोसी), गौतमी (गोदावरी), यमुना, नर्मदा तथा कावेरी नदी भी यहाँ विद्यमान हैं
bhūtanātha! strī sadā strīkā hī anusaraṇa karatī hai | mama etat kāraṇena ime śreṣṭhāḥ saritaḥ mayā sammānitā bhaviṣyanti || eṣā sarasvatī puṇyā nadīnām uttamā nadī | prathamā sarvasaritāṁ nadī sāgaragāminī | (yamunā narmadāṁ caiva kāverīm atha nimnagām) |
Maheshvara said: “O Lord of beings! A woman ever follows the way of womanhood. By my acting thus, these excellent rivers will be honored through me. Here stands the holy Sarasvatī, the best among rivers—foremost of all streams, flowing on to the ocean. And here too are the Yamunā, the Narmadā, and the Kāverī, along with other rivers that run down to the sea.”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage elevates reverence for sacred rivers as a dharmic act: honoring them is presented as meritorious, with Sarasvatī singled out as preeminent among rivers that lead to the ocean.
Maheshvara speaks to “Bhūtanātha,” explaining that his action will result in the honoring of great rivers; he then identifies Sarasvatī as foremost and names other major rivers present in the sacred setting.