Shloka 21
भीष्मस्वप्न-स्मृत्युपाख्यानम् | Bhīṣma’s Dream-Linked Recollection of the Paraśurāma Combat
फिर एक वर्षतक यमुनाजीके जलमें घुसकर बिना कुछ खाये-पीये वह भाविनी राजकन्या जलमें ही रहकर तपस्या करती रही
tataḥ sā bhāvinī rājakanyā ekavarṣaṃ yāmunajalāntarapraviśya kiṃcid api khāditvā pītvā vā vinā jale eva sthitvā tapas tepe
Then that destined princess entered the waters of the Yamunā and, for a full year, remained within the river itself, undertaking austerities without eating or drinking.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores tapas (austerity) as disciplined endurance directed toward a higher aim, portraying ethical strength as the capacity to restrain bodily needs and remain steadfast in a chosen vow.
Rāma narrates that a princess enters the Yamunā and stays submerged/within its waters for an entire year, performing severe austerities without eating or drinking.