Shloka 88
Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
स््नेहो रागश्न तन्द्री च मोहो द्रोहश्च॒ केवल: । तव शुश्रूषया राजन् राजपुत्र्या विनिर्जिता:
sneho rāgaś ca tandrī ca moho drohaś ca kevalaḥ | tava śuśrūṣayā rājan rājaputryā vinirjitāḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai Raja, melalui ketekunan sang putri raja dalam melayanimu, keterikatan penuh kasih, gairah, kemalasan, delusi, bahkan kebencian murni—semua cela itu telah ia taklukkan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Devoted, disciplined service (śuśrūṣā) can purify character: by sustained care and obedience directed toward a rightful duty, inner faults like attachment, passion, laziness, delusion, and hostility are gradually subdued.
Bhīṣma addresses a king and praises a princess, stating that through her faithful attendance upon him she has overcome several moral and psychological दोषs (faults), highlighting her exemplary conduct and the transformative power of service.