Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 16
अहिंसा-प्रधान धर्मविचारः
Ahiṃsā as the Superior Dharma: Practical and Scriptural Reasoning
सा तत्र परमं देवी तपो5चरद् दुश्चरम् । समा होकपदे तस्थौ दश पद्मानि पजच च
sā tatra paramaṃ devī tapo 'carad duścaram | samā ho(k)a-pade tasthau daśa padmāni pañca ca ||
There, that supreme goddess undertook an austere penance, exceedingly difficult to perform. She remained steadfast in that posture for ten years, and for five more, enduring the discipline without wavering.
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical power of tapas—disciplined endurance and self-restraint—as a means to attain higher aims. Steadfastness over long periods is presented as a mark of inner strength and spiritual seriousness.
Bhīṣma describes a goddess who, in a particular place, undertakes extremely difficult austerities and remains fixed in a chosen posture for a long duration—ten years and five more—emphasizing the intensity and constancy of her penance.