Shloka 8
कुण्डधारोपाख्यानम्
Kuṇḍadhāra-Upākhyāna: Dharma’s Superiority over Wealth and Desire
श्रद्धा वैवस्वती सेयं सूर्यस्य दुहिता द्विज । सावित्री प्रसवित्री च बहिर्वाड्मनसी ततः
śraddhā vaivasvatī seyaṃ sūryasya duhitā dvija | sāvitrī prasavitrī ca bahirvāḍmanasī tataḥ ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «Oh dos veces nacido, esta Śraddhā es llamada en verdad Vaivasvatī, pues es hija de Sūrya. Por ello también se la conoce como Sāvitrī y Prasavitrī, la pura engendradora. Así, la palabra y aun la mente son instrumentos exteriores en relación con la Śraddhā».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Śraddhā (faithful inner conviction) is presented as a deeper, more foundational power than the outward instruments of speech and even the mind; it is the inner source that enables and sanctifies right intention and action.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction during the Śānti Parva, he identifies Śraddhā through her epithets—Vaivasvatī, Sāvitrī, and Prasavitrī—linking her to the solar lineage, and then emphasizes her primacy by calling speech and mind ‘external’ relative to her.