मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
चन्द्रादित्यावुभी यावद् गगने चरत: प्रभो
candrādityāvubhī yāvad gagane carataḥ prabho
اے پرَبھو! جب تک چاند اور سورج—دونوں—آسمان میں گردش کرتے رہیں گے…
भीष्म उवाच
The verse uses the Sun and Moon—symbols of the unbroken cosmic rhythm—to frame a promise or principle as enduring. It implies that dharma-backed statements (vows, blessings, moral assurances) are meant to stand as firmly as the celestial order.
Bhīṣma is speaking within his instruction (anuśāsana) to Yudhiṣṭhira. This half-verse functions as the opening of a long-duration clause (“so long as the Sun and Moon move in the sky…”), typically leading into a declaration meant to be remembered as lasting and authoritative.