Shloka 134
Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment
Parāśara’s Instruction
पवित्र च पवित्राणां मड़लानां च मड्जलम् | गिरिको हिंडुको वृक्षो जीव: पुद्गल एव च
pavitraṁ ca pavitrāṇāṁ maṅgalānāṁ ca maṅgalam | giriko hiṇḍuko vṛkṣo jīvaḥ pudgala eva ca ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: Tú eres lo más puro entre todo lo puro, y la más alta auspiciosidad entre todo lo auspicioso. Eres también “Girika”, el poder que despierta incluso lo inerte; “Hiṇḍuka”, el que se mueve y va y vuelve; el árbol del mundo mismo; el principio vital individual; y la persona encarnada.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches an all-pervading vision of the Supreme: the highest purity and auspiciousness are not separate from the world, life, and personhood. Seeing the Divine as present in jīva (life) and pudgala (embodied individuality) supports dharmic conduct—humility, restraint, and reverence toward all beings.
In Śānti Parva, Bhishma instructs and praises the Supreme through a litany of epithets. This verse is part of that praise, identifying the Lord with cosmic principles and with the living individual, expanding the listener’s understanding from ritual purity to a comprehensive theological vision.