Shloka 23
अहिंसा-प्रधान धर्मविचारः
Ahiṃsā as the Superior Dharma: Practical and Scriptural Reasoning
ततो हिमवतो मूर्थ्नि यत्र देवा: समीजिरे
tato himavato mūrdhni yatra devāḥ samījire, rājendra! tadanantaraṃ himālaya-parvatake śikhara-par yatra pūrvaṃ devatābhiḥ yajñaḥ kṛtaḥ, tasmin sthāne sā paramā śubha-lakṣaṇā kanyā ekaṃ nikharva-varṣa-avadhiṃ aṅguṣṭha-bale tiṣṭhantī sthitā. evaṃ yatnaṃ kṛtvā sā pitāmahaṃ brahmāṇaṃ santoṣayāmāsa.
ビーシュマは言った。「それから、王よ、ヒマヴァトの頂—かつて神々が集い供犠を行ったその場所において—最上の吉祥の徴を備えたその乙女は、ただ己の親指の力のみによって身を支え、ニカルヴァ年のあいだ微動だにせず立ち続けた。かくも絶えざる精進と苦行によって、彼女は祖父ブラフマーを満足させたのである。」
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage emphasizes that unwavering discipline (yatna) and sustained austerity (tapas), undertaken in a sacred and purposeful manner, can purify intent and win divine approval—suggesting that inner resolve and ethical self-mastery are central to dharma.
Bhishma describes how an auspicious maiden goes to the summit of Himavat, a place sanctified by an earlier divine sacrifice, and performs an extreme penance—standing on her thumb for an immense span of years—thereby pleasing Brahmā.