Shloka 27
Aṣṭāvakra–Strī-saṃvāda: Dhṛti, hospitality, and a dispute on autonomy
भीष्म उवाच ततो5गच्छत् स भगवानुत्तरामुत्तरां दिशम् हिमवन्तं गिरिश्रेष्ठ सिद्धा्चारणसेवितम्,भीष्मजी कहते हैं--राजन्! तदनन्तर भगवान् अष्टावक्र उत्तरोत्तर दिशाकी ओर चल दिये। सिद्धों और चारणोंसे सेवित गिरिश्रेष्ठ महापर्वत हिमालयपर पहुँचकर वे श्रेष्ठ द्विज धर्मसे शोभा पानेवाली पुण्यमयी बाहुदा नदीके तटपर गये
bhīṣma uvāca | tato ’gacchat sa bhagavān uttarām uttarāṃ diśam himavantaṃ giriśreṣṭhaṃ siddhacāraṇasevitam |
Bhishma said: “Then that venerable sage set forth, moving ever further toward the northern quarters. He reached the Himalaya, the foremost of mountains, frequented and revered by Siddhas and Charanas.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a saintly journey toward the Himalaya—symbolically moving from worldly spaces toward a sanctified realm associated with perfected beings. Ethically, it reinforces the Mahabharata’s valuation of tapas (austere discipline), tīrtha-like sacred landscapes, and the pursuit of dharma through renunciation and higher association.
Bhishma narrates that the revered sage proceeds steadily northward and arrives at the Himalaya, described as the foremost mountain and a place frequented by Siddhas and Charanas—setting the scene for further events connected with the sage’s spiritual itinerary.