Shloka 124
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
अप्सरोगणसम्पूर्ण गन्धर्वैरभिनादितम् | तत्र चैनं शुभा नार्यों दिव्याभरणभूषिता:
apsarogaṇasampūrṇa gandharvair abhināditam | tatra cainaṃ śubhā nāryo divyābharaṇabhūṣitāḥ ||
Estaba colmado de huestes de Apsaras y resonaba con la música de los Gandharvas. Allí, mujeres celestiales de buen augurio, adornadas con joyas divinas, lo atendían.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses celestial imagery—Apsarases, Gandharvas, and divine adornment—to signal honor and reward associated with dharmic merit. It reinforces the Mahābhārata’s ethical motif that righteous conduct bears refined, uplifting fruits, portrayed here as a heavenly, harmonious environment.
Bhīṣma describes a splendid otherworldly scene: a place crowded with Apsarases and echoing with Gandharva music, where beautifully adorned celestial women are present around ‘him’ (the person being spoken about in the surrounding passage). The verse functions as a vivid tableau of celestial reception and honor.