Shloka 84
Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
अर्धेनौधवती नाम त्वामर्धेनानुयास्यति । शरीरेण महाभागा योगो हाुस्या वशे स्थित:
ardhenaudhavatī nāma tvām ardhenānuyāsyati | śarīreṇa mahābhāgā yogo hāsyā vaśe sthitaḥ ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: “Con una mitad de su ser se convertirá en el excelente río llamado Oghavatī, que purifica el mundo; con la otra mitad, esa mujer supremamente afortunada y casta permanecerá a tu servicio. El yoga—la disciplina y el dominio espiritual—estará siempre bajo su control.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises a woman’s tapas and dharmic power: her merit is portrayed as both world-benefiting (becoming a purifying river) and personally devoted (remaining in service). It also presents yoga as disciplined mastery that can be firmly ‘under one’s control’ through virtue and austerity.
Bhīṣma describes a miraculous, merit-born outcome: the virtuous woman is said to manifest in a dual way—one aspect becoming the river Oghavatī that purifies the world, while another aspect remains present to attend and serve ‘you,’ emphasizing both cosmic benefit and personal duty.