Shloka 32
Suvarṇa-dāna: Kārttikeya’s Origin and the Defeat of Tāraka (सुवर्णदान-प्रसङ्गे कार्त्तिकेय-उत्पत्ति तथा तारकवधः)
किमर्थ तप्यसे देवि तपो घोरमनिन्दिते । प्रीतस्ते5हं महाभागे तपसानेन शो भने
kimartha tapyase devi tapo ghoram anindite | prītas te 'haṃ mahābhāge tapasānena śobhane ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “O Diyosa, ikaw na walang kapintasan—bakit mo pinapahirapan ang sarili mo sa ganitong mabagsik na tapas? O marilag, O lubhang mapalad, labis akong nalulugod sa iyo dahil sa iyong pag-aayuno at pagninilay. O Devi, humingi ka ng biyaya ayon sa iyong nais.” Sa gayon, O Purandara, hinimok ko si Surabhī na humiling ng isang biyaya.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Severe austerity (tapas) is portrayed as spiritually efficacious and capable of winning divine approval; when such merit is acknowledged, it is ethically framed as deserving a boon aligned with one’s rightful desire.
Bhīṣma narrates a scene in which he addresses a goddess-like, virtuous figure (Surabhī), asks why she undertakes harsh austerities, declares his satisfaction with her tapas, and encourages her—before Indra (Puraṃdara)—to request a boon.