Shloka 21
Umā’s Inquiry and the Manifestation of the Third Eye (उमा–प्रश्नः तृतीयनेत्रोत्पत्तिः)
भीष्मजी कहते हैं--युधिष्ठिर! सुमनाको इस प्रकार पातितव्रत्य धर्मका उपदेश देकर तपस्विनी महाभागा शाण्डिली देवी तत्काल वहाँ अदृश्य हो गयीं
bhīṣma uvāca—yudhiṣṭhira! sumanāṃko ’smin prakāreṇa pātitavratya-dharmasyopadeśaṃ dattvā tapasvinī mahābhāgā śāṇḍilī devī tatkālaṃ tatraivādṛśyābhavat.
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai Yudhiṣṭhira, setelah demikian menasihati Sumanaka tentang dharma bagi seseorang yang telah gugur daripada nazar, dewi Śāṇḍilī—sang pertapa yang amat diberkati—segera lenyap dari tempat itu juga.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That even when a person has lapsed from a vow (pātitavratya), dharma provides a defined framework of instruction and corrective conduct—implying accountability, guidance, and the possibility of restoration through right counsel and practice.
Bhishma narrates to Yudhishthira that Shandili Devi, after teaching Sumanaka about the dharma applicable to one who has broken a vow, immediately disappears from the spot—marking the completion of her divine instruction.