Shloka 193
अहिंसा-प्रधान धर्मविचारः
Ahiṃsā as the Superior Dharma: Practical and Scriptural Reasoning
द्वे चायुते नरश्रेष्ठ वाय्वाहारा महामते । तात! महामते! नरश्रेष्ठ फिर वह दस हजार पद्म वर्षोतक मृगोंके साथ विचरती रही। इसके बाद बीस हजार वर्षोंतक उसने केवल वायुका आहार किया
dve cāyute naraśreṣṭha vāyvāhārā mahāmate | tāta mahāmate naraśreṣṭha tataḥ sā daśa-sahasra-padma-varṣotka-mṛgaiḥ saha vicaratī rahī | tataḥ paraṁ viṁśati-sahasra-varṣāṇi kevalaṁ vāyum evāhāram akarot |
Wika ni Bhishma: “O pinakamainam sa mga tao, o marunong—nabuhay siya sa loob ng dalawang ayuta na hangin lamang ang ikinabubuhay. Pagkaraan, anak ko, nagpatuloy siyang gumala kasama ng mga usa sa loob ng sampung libong padma-taon. Pagkatapos nito, sa loob ng dalawampung libong taon, hangin lamang ang tinanggap niyang tanging pagkain.”
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights tapas—radical self-control and endurance—as a dharmic discipline, presenting sustained austerity (living on air, long periods of restraint) as a model of spiritual resolve.
Bhīṣma describes an ascetic woman’s extraordinary regimen across immense spans of time: she wanders with deer and repeatedly undertakes prolonged periods of subsisting solely on air, emphasizing the intensity of her vow.