Shloka 27
Adhyāya 152 — Bhīṣma’s Authorization for Yudhiṣṭhira’s Return to the Capital (नगरप्रवेशानुज्ञा)
गजड़ोवाच धन्यास्म्यनुगृहीतास्मि देवि धर्मपरायणे । या त्वं सर्वजगन्मान्या नदीं मानयसे5नघे,गंगाजीने कहा--देवि! धर्मपरायणे! अनघे! मैं धन्य हूँ। मुझपर आपका बहुत बड़ा अनुग्रह है; क्योंकि आप सम्पूर्ण जगत्की सम्माननीया होनेपर भी एक तुच्छ नदीको मान्यता प्रदान कर रही हैं
gajaḍa uvāca: dhanyāsmy anugṛhītāsmi devi dharmaparāyaṇe | yā tvaṁ sarvajaganmānyā nadīṁ mānayase ’naghe ||
Gajaḍa said: “O Goddess devoted to dharma, I am blessed; I have been shown great favor. For though you are revered by the entire world, O sinless one, you still choose to honor even a mere river.”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
True dharma expresses itself as humility and equal regard: even one who is universally revered shows grace by honoring what seems small or insignificant, making respect itself an ethical act.
Gajaḍa addresses a Goddess, expressing gratitude and amazement that she—despite being honored by the entire world—still chooses to show respect to a river, treating it as worthy of recognition.