Devaśarmā–Vipula Dialogue on Ahorātra–Ṛtu as Moral Witnesses (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय ४३)
योगेनाथ प्रवेशो हि गुरुपत्न्या: कलेवरे
yogenātha praveśo hi guru-patnyāḥ kalevare |
Bhishma berkata: “Maka, dengan kekuatan yoga, aku mesti memasuki tubuh isteri guru. Seperti titisan air yang bertakhta di atas daun teratai tanpa ternoda, demikian juga aku akan berdiam di dalamnya tanpa keterikatan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Even when compelled to act in a morally delicate situation, one must uphold dharma through strict self-mastery: acting without lust or possessiveness, remaining inwardly unstained—like water on a lotus leaf—by maintaining non-attachment and purity of intention.
Bhishma explains a resolve to use yogic power to enter the body of his preceptor’s wife, while emphasizing that his presence will be entirely free from desire or personal claim. The lotus-leaf simile is used to assert ethical restraint and inner detachment amid an extraordinary act.