पृथिव्यां तपसा सिद्धा: स्थावराश्न चराश्न ह । हिमवान् गिरय: सर्वे चत्वारश्न महार्णवा:
pṛthivyāṃ tapasā siddhāḥ sthāvarāś ca carāś ca ha | himavān girayaḥ sarve catvāraś ca mahārṇavāḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Di bumi ini, dengan kekuatan tapas (pertapaan), kesempurnaan telah dicapai oleh semua makhluk—yang tidak bergerak mahupun yang bergerak. Bahkan Himavān dan segala gunung-ganang, serta empat samudera besar, berdiri sebagai saksi akan keberkesanan tapas.”
भीष्म उवाच
The verse emphasizes the universal potency of tapas (disciplined austerity): it is a force through which beings attain siddhi (accomplishment), and the stability and grandeur of nature are invoked to underscore its efficacy and moral-spiritual authority.
Bhīṣma, instructing on dharma in the Anuśāsana Parva, praises austerity by stating that success through tapas is evident across creation—among immovable and movable beings—and he cites the Himalaya, all mountains, and the four oceans as emblematic confirmations.