Shloka 53
Bhaṅgāśvanopākhyāna — On comparative affection in strī–puruṣa union (भङ्गाश्वनोपाख्यानम्)
रमिताभ्यधिकं स्त्रीत्वे सत्यं वै देवसत्तम । स्त्रीभावेन हि तुष्यामि गम्यतां त्रिदशाधिप
ramitābhyadhikaṃ strītve satyaṃ vai devasattama | strībhāvena hi tuṣyāmi gamyatāṃ tridaśādhipa ||
Bhishma nói: “Hỡi bậc tối thượng trong hàng chư thần, đó quả là sự thật: trong thân phận nữ nhi, ta đã nếm trải khoái lạc lớn hơn. Vì vậy ta bằng lòng với kiếp làm nữ. Hỡi chúa tể của ba mươi vị thần, xin hãy lui bước.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds satya (truthful speech) and personal integrity: the speaker openly states their lived satisfaction with a particular embodied condition and refuses external pressure, implying that ethical clarity includes honest acknowledgment of one’s experience and contentment rather than mere conformity.
Bhishma, addressing Indra (lord of the gods), declares that in the state of womanhood they have felt greater pleasure and are therefore satisfied with that form; consequently, they ask Indra to depart, signaling a firm decision and closure of the divine encounter.