Shloka 186
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
साहं तस्मिन् कुले जाता भर्तर्यसति मद्विधे | विनीता मोक्षधर्मेषु चराम्येका मुनिव्रतम्
sāhaṃ tasmin kule jātā bhartary asati madvidhe | vinītā mokṣadharmeṣu carāmy ekā munivratam ||
I was born into that family, yet I became one like myself—without a husband. Trained in the disciplines that lead to liberation, I now live alone, observing the vow and way of life of a sage.
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when social circumstances (such as being without a husband) are difficult or unconventional, one can transform life through discipline and instruction in mokṣa-dharma, adopting a principled, ascetic mode of conduct aimed at liberation.
Within Bhishma’s discourse on mokṣa-dharma in the Śānti Parva, a female voice (quoted or referenced) describes her life: born into a particular lineage, left without a husband, she has been trained in liberative teachings and now lives alone practicing a sage-like vow.