Shloka 59
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
नाभागेनाम्बरीषेण गयेन च महात्मना । आयुनाथानरण्येन दिलीपरघुपूरुभि:
nābhāgenāmbarīṣeṇa gayena ca mahātmanā | āyunāthānaraṇyena dilīparaghupūrubhiḥ |
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai putera Kuntī, raja-raja seperti Nābhāga, Ambarīṣa, Gaya yang berhati besar, Āyu, Anaraṇya, Dilīpa, Raghu dan Pūru—yang menunaikan nazar menjauhi daging pada bulan Āśvina sepanjang kedua-dua fortnight (atau walau satu fortnight)—seakan-akan menjadi satu dengan Diri semua makhluk, dan memperoleh pengetahuan tentang prinsip tertinggi dan yang lebih rendah (parāvara).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that disciplined restraint—here, abstaining from meat during a sacred period—purifies conduct and mind, leading to expanded compassion toward all beings and culminating in higher spiritual insight (knowledge of parāvara-tattva).
In Bhishma’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma, he cites exemplary kings who observed a specific vow in the month of Āśvina. Their ethical self-restraint is presented as the cause of profound spiritual attainment and universal identification with the Self of all beings.