Shloka 16
अहिंसा-प्रधान धर्मविचारः
Ahiṃsā as the Superior Dharma: Practical and Scriptural Reasoning
सा तत्र परमं देवी तपो5चरद् दुश्चरम् । समा होकपदे तस्थौ दश पद्मानि पजच च
sā tatra paramaṃ devī tapo 'carad duścaram | samā ho(k)a-pade tasthau daśa padmāni pañca ca ||
そこで至高の女神は、きわめて成し難い厳しい苦行（タパス）に身を投じた。彼女はその姿勢のまま揺るがず十年を過ごし、さらに五年、戒めの行を耐え抜いた。
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical power of tapas—disciplined endurance and self-restraint—as a means to attain higher aims. Steadfastness over long periods is presented as a mark of inner strength and spiritual seriousness.
Bhīṣma describes a goddess who, in a particular place, undertakes extremely difficult austerities and remains fixed in a chosen posture for a long duration—ten years and five more—emphasizing the intensity and constancy of her penance.