Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 50
Devaśarmā–Vipula Dialogue on Ahorātra–Ṛtu as Moral Witnesses (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय ४३)
योगेनाथ प्रवेशो हि गुरुपत्न्या: कलेवरे
yogenātha praveśo hi guru-patnyāḥ kalevare |
Wika ni Bhishma: “Kaya nga, sa lakas ng yoga, kailangan kong pumasok sa katawan ng asawa ng guro. Gaya ng patak ng tubig na nakapatong sa dahon ng lotus na hindi nadudungisan, gayon din ako maninirahan sa loob niya nang walang pagkapit ng pagnanasa.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.