Shloka 12
Bhīṣma’s Hymn to Viṣṇu and Kṛṣṇa’s Criteria for Divine Self-Disclosure
भवांस्तु मम भक्तश्च नित्यं चार्जवमास्थित: । दमे तपसि सत्ये च दाने च निरत: शुचि:,आप मेरे भक्त तो हैं ही। आपका स्वभाव भी सरल है। आप इन्द्रिय-संयम, तपस्या, सत्य और दानमें तत्पर रहनेवाले तथा परम पवित्र हैं
bhavāṁstu mama bhaktaś ca nityaṁ cārjavam āsthitaḥ | dame tapasi satye ca dāne ca nirataḥ śuciḥ ||
Vāyu said: “You are indeed my devotee, and you ever abide in straightforwardness. You are disciplined in self-control, devoted to austerity, truthfulness, and generosity, and you are pure in conduct.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises and upholds a dharmic character: devotion joined with moral simplicity (ārjava), sense-control (dama), disciplined effort (tapas), truthfulness (satya), and generosity (dāna). It presents purity (śuci) as the natural outcome of sustained ethical practice.
Vāyu addresses a person he recognizes as his devotee, affirming the devotee’s established virtues. The speech functions as a commendation and validation of the listener’s conduct, highlighting the qualities expected of an exemplary dharmic individual in the Śānti Parva’s moral discourse.