Shloka 32
Suvarṇa-dāna: Kārttikeya’s Origin and the Defeat of Tāraka (सुवर्णदान-प्रसङ्गे कार्त्तिकेय-उत्पत्ति तथा तारकवधः)
किमर्थ तप्यसे देवि तपो घोरमनिन्दिते । प्रीतस्ते5हं महाभागे तपसानेन शो भने
kimartha tapyase devi tapo ghoram anindite | prītas te 'haṃ mahābhāge tapasānena śobhane ||
Bhīṣma dit : « Ô Déesse, irréprochable — pourquoi t’accables-tu d’une austérité si terrible ? Ô resplendissante, ô très fortunée, je suis grandement satisfait de toi à cause de cette pénitence. Ô Devi, demande une grâce selon ton désir. » Ainsi, ô Puraṃdara, j’exhortai Surabhī à demander un don.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Severe austerity (tapas) is portrayed as spiritually efficacious and capable of winning divine approval; when such merit is acknowledged, it is ethically framed as deserving a boon aligned with one’s rightful desire.
Bhīṣma narrates a scene in which he addresses a goddess-like, virtuous figure (Surabhī), asks why she undertakes harsh austerities, declares his satisfaction with her tapas, and encourages her—before Indra (Puraṃdara)—to request a boon.