Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
स््नेहो रागश्न तन्द्री च मोहो द्रोहश्च॒ केवल: । तव शुश्रूषया राजन् राजपुत्र्या विनिर्जिता:
sneho rāgaś ca tandrī ca moho drohaś ca kevalaḥ | tava śuśrūṣayā rājan rājaputryā vinirjitāḥ ||
Bhīṣma nói: “Muôn tâu Đại vương, sự quyến luyến, đam mê, uể oải, mê muội, và cả lòng ác độc thuần túy—những lỗi ấy công chúa đã chế ngự được nhờ sự phụng sự tận tụy đối với bệ hạ.”
भीष्म उवाच
Devoted, disciplined service (śuśrūṣā) can purify character: by sustained care and obedience directed toward a rightful duty, inner faults like attachment, passion, laziness, delusion, and hostility are gradually subdued.
Bhīṣma addresses a king and praises a princess, stating that through her faithful attendance upon him she has overcome several moral and psychological दोषs (faults), highlighting her exemplary conduct and the transformative power of service.