Shloka 23
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
ते च सर्वे तपस्यन्त: पुरा चेरुर्महीमिमाम् | समाधिनोपशिक्षन्तो ब्रह्मलोक॑ सनातनम्
te ca sarve tapasyantaḥ purā cerur mahīm imām | samādhinopaśikṣanto brahmalokaṃ sanātanam ||
Bhīṣma said: “And all of them, practicing austerities, once wandered over this very earth. Through deep meditative absorption they trained themselves toward the eternal Brahma-world.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes that sustained tapas (austerity and self-discipline) combined with samādhi (deep meditative steadiness) is a traditional path toward the highest spiritual goal, described here as the eternal Brahmaloka. Ethical life is implied as inner training: mastering desire and distraction to orient oneself toward the supreme good.
Bhīṣma is describing earlier exemplars—“all of them”—who in ancient times lived as ascetics, moving across the earth while practicing austerities. Their wandering is not aimless; it is framed as disciplined spiritual training through samādhi aimed at attaining the eternal Brahmaloka.