Chapter 85: Suvarṇasya Janma ca Pradāna-Phalam
The Origin of Gold and the Merit of Gifting
महठुग्रं तपः कृत्वा मां निषेवन्ति मानवा: । देवदानवगन्धर्वा: पिशाचोरगराक्षसा:,देवता, दानव, गन्धर्व, पिशाच, नाग, राक्षस और मनुष्य बड़ी उग्र तपस्या करके मेरी सेवाका सौभाग्य प्राप्त करते हैं
bhīṣma uvāca | mahad ugraṁ tapaḥ kṛtvā māṁ niṣevanti mānavāḥ | devadānavagandharvāḥ piśācoragarākṣasāḥ ||
Disse Bhīṣma: “Tendo empreendido austeridades grandes e ferozes, os homens me buscam e me servem; do mesmo modo, os deuses, os asuras, os gandharvas, os piśācas, os nāgas e os rākṣasas alcançam a boa fortuna de me servir.”
भीष्म उवाच
Intense tapas (disciplined austerity) and sincere service are presented as universally efficacious spiritual means: beings of many orders—humans and non-humans alike—gain the privilege of serving the revered figure through sustained ascetic effort.
Bhīṣma, in his instructional discourse, emphasizes his exalted status as an object of reverent approach: various classes of beings perform severe austerities and then ‘resort to’ or ‘serve’ him, illustrating the power of tapas and the broad reach of dharmic striving.