Shloka 12
Mahāvasu’s Fall by Speech-Error and Release through Devotion (अज-विवादः वसोः शापः विमोचनं च)
त॑ं गड़ा सरितां श्रेष्ठा मेरुपृष्ठे जनेश्वर
taṁ gaḍā saritāṁ śreṣṭhā merupṛṣṭhe janeśvara
ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ ജനേശ്വരാ! ഹേ കൗരവ്യാ! മേരു പർവതത്തിന്റെ പൃഷ്ഠഭാഗത്ത് ‘ഗഡാ’ എന്ന നദിയുണ്ട്; നദികളിൽ അതി ശ്രേഷ്ഠം.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse situates ethical instruction within sacred geography: by pointing to a ‘foremost’ river on Meru, Bhīṣma frames dharma as connected to revered places and exemplary natural symbols, often used in the Śānti Parva to guide a king toward righteous conduct and reverence for sacred order.
Bhīṣma, instructing the king, begins or continues a description of notable sacred locations—here identifying the river Gaḍā as preeminent among rivers and locating it on Mount Meru—typical of Śānti Parva passages that catalogue tīrthas, holy rivers, and cosmological landmarks.