Shloka 83
Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
एषा हि तपसा स्वेन संयुक्ता ब्रह्म॒वादिनी । पावनार्थ च लोकस्य सरिच्छेष्ठा भविष्यति
eṣā hi tapasā svena saṁyuktā brahmavādinī | pāvanārthaṁ ca lokasya saricchreṣṭhā bhaviṣyati ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Sapagkat siya’y pinagkalooban ng lakas ng sarili niyang pag-aayuno at pagninilay (tapas), at siya’y isang brahmavādinī—nakaaalam at nagsasalita tungkol sa Brahman. Para sa paglilinis ng daigdig, siya’y magiging pinakadakila sa mga ilog.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Austerity (tapas) joined with spiritual insight and truthful sacred speech (brahmavāda) becomes a force of purification not only for the practitioner but for the wider world; such a person is likened to a great river that cleanses all who come into contact with it.
Bhishma is describing a woman characterized as a brahmavādinī, emphasizing her ascetic power and forecasting her role as a purifier of the world, metaphorically elevating her to the status of the foremost river.