Mahabharata — Adi Parva, Shloka 12
कल्माषपाद-शाप-कारणम्
Cause of Kalmāṣapāda’s Niyoga under a Curse
ततस्तस्मिन् गिरिवरे शुचिर्भूत्वा कृताउ्जलि: । आरिराधयिषु: सूर्य तस्थावूर्ध्वमुख: क्षितौ
tatastasmīn girivare śucirbhūtvā kṛtāñjaliḥ | ārirādhayiṣuḥ sūryaṃ tasthāv ūrdhvamukhaḥ kṣitau ||
Después, en aquella excelsa montaña, tras purificarse con el baño y los ritos debidos, se mantuvo en pie sobre la tierra con las manos juntas en reverencia, el rostro alzado, dispuesto a adorar a Sūrya, el Sol. La escena realza una devoción disciplinada: purificación, humildad y oración concentrada antes de buscar el auxilio divino.
गन्धर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethic of disciplined devotion: one approaches the divine after self-purification, with humility (joined hands) and single-pointed intent. Inner and outer cleanliness, reverence, and steadiness are presented as proper prerequisites for worship.
After reaching an excellent mountain and becoming purified (implicitly by bathing and observances), the speaker describes how the person stands on the ground, hands folded, face uplifted, preparing to propitiate the Sun-god (Sūrya).