Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
देव्या प्रणोदितो देव: कारुण्याद्रीकृतेक्षण: । ततस्तानाह मनुजान् वरदोडस्मीति शड्कर:
devyā praṇodito devaḥ kāruṇyād rīkṛtekṣaṇaḥ | tatas tān āha manuṣyān varado ’smīti śaṅkaraḥ ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Sa pag-uudyok ng Diyosa, dumating ang Panginoon, at ang Kanyang mga mata’y lumambot at nabasa ng habag. Pagkaraan, si Śaṅkara (Shiva), ang tagapagkaloob ng biyaya, ay nagsabi sa mga taong iyon: ‘Narito Ako upang ipagkaloob sa inyo ang isang biyaya.’”
भीष्म उवाच
Divine authority is portrayed as inseparable from compassion: the Lord appears not merely to judge but to relieve suffering, and the ethical model presented is that true power responds to distress with mercy and beneficence.
At the Goddess’s prompting, Shiva manifests before the gathered men; his compassionate gaze signals empathy, and he announces his readiness to grant them a boon, marking a turning point where divine intervention enters the human situation.