Shloka 28
Suvarṇa-dāna: Kārttikeya’s Origin and the Defeat of Tāraka (सुवर्णदान-प्रसङ्गे कार्त्तिकेय-उत्पत्ति तथा तारकवधः)
दक्षस्य दुहिता देवी सुरभी नाम नामतः । अतप्यत तपो घोरें हृष्टा धर्मपरायणा
dakṣasya duhitā devī surabhī nāma nāmataḥ | atapyata tapo ghore hṛṣṭā dharmaparāyaṇā ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Putri Dakṣa, sang dewi bernama Surabhī, dengan hati bersukacita dan teguh berpegang pada dharma, menjalani tapa yang keras.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse upholds tapas (disciplined austerity) undertaken with a dharmic intention as a model of ethical self-restraint—inner joy and steadfast commitment to righteousness are presented as the proper spirit of spiritual practice.
Bhīṣma introduces Surabhī, identified as Dakṣa’s daughter, and states that she performed severe austerities, characterized by joy and unwavering dedication to dharma—setting up a moral-religious exemplum within the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct.