Shloka 3
अहिंसा-आत्मौपम्य-उपदेशः | Instruction on Ahiṃsā and Self-Comparison Ethics
भीष्म उवाच मार्गशीर्षस्य मासस्य चन्द्रे मूलेन संयुते । पादौ मूलेन राजेन्द्र जड्धायामथ रोहिणीम्
bhīṣma uvāca mārgaśīrṣasya māsasya candre mūlena saṃyute | pādau mūlena rājendra jaḍḍhāyām atha rohiṇīm |
Bhishma bersabda: “Wahai raja, pada bulan Mārgaśīrṣa, ketika Sang Candra berkonjungsi dengan rasi bulan Mūla, hendaklah dimulai laku tapa-brata Candra. Dalam merenungkan wujud Candra, bayangkan kedua kakinya berhubungan dengan Mūla beserta para dewa, lalu tempatkan Rohiṇī pada betis-betisnya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches disciplined devotion through correct timing (Moon conjoined with Mūla) and structured visualization of the deity (mapping nakṣatras onto the Moon’s limbs), presenting dharma as practice that unites calendar-knowledge, vow-taking, and contemplative focus.
Bhishma instructs the king on how to begin a Chandra-related observance in Mārgaśīrṣa: when the Moon is in Mūla, the practitioner should start the vow and meditate on the Moon’s form, assigning Mūla to the feet and Rohiṇī to the calves as part of the ritual visualization.