Shloka 25
Adhyāya 152 — Bhīṣma’s Authorization for Yudhiṣṭhira’s Return to the Capital (नगरप्रवेशानुज्ञा)
बद्दीभिवद्धिभि: स्फीता स्त्रीधर्मज्ञा शुचिस्मिता । शैलराजसूुतां देवीं पुण्या पापभयापहा
buddhibhir vṛddhibhiḥ sphītā strī-dharma-jñā śuci-smitā | śailarāja-sutāṃ devīṃ puṇyā pāpa-bhayāpahā ||
Mahēśvara dit : «Gaṅgā, pourvue d’une intelligence abondante et d’un discernement mûr, versée dans les devoirs et la conduite propres aux femmes, souriant d’une douceur pure, était elle-même sainte et dissipait la crainte née du péché. Se tournant vers la déesse Umā, fille du Seigneur des Montagnes, elle lui adressa la parole avec un sourire léger.»
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames Gaṅgā as an exemplar of purity, mature intelligence, and knowledge of strī-dharma, implying that ethical counsel should come from one who is inwardly pure and discerning, and that holiness dispels the fear rooted in wrongdoing.
Śiva describes Gaṅgā’s qualities and then notes that she turns to Umā (Pārvatī), the daughter of Himālaya, and begins to speak to her with a gentle, pure smile—setting the scene for a moral or dharmic instruction.