Shloka 27
Adhyāya 325: Nārada in Śvetadvīpa—Stotra to the Nirguṇa Mahātman
प्रताम्पति ग्लायति वा नापैति च तथा55तपात् । तेषां तु द्वारणालानामेक: शोकसमन्वित:
pratāmpati glāyati vā nāpaiti ca tathā tapāt | teṣāṃ tu dvāraṇālānām ekaḥ śokasamanvitaḥ ||
They were not scorched by the heat, nor did they grow weary, nor did they move away from the sun into the shade. Yet among those gatekeepers, one became filled with sorrow, distressed by his own conduct.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when outward hardship does not affect the body, inner conscience can still awaken: unethical or improper conduct leads to sorrow and self-reproach, pointing to the primacy of right behavior (ācāra) in dharma.
Bhishma describes gatekeepers who remain unmoved by the sun’s heat—neither fatigued nor seeking shade—yet one among them becomes sorrowful, troubled by his own behavior, setting up a moral reflection within the episode.