Shloka 12
अध्याय ३२३ — श्वेतद्वीपगमनम्, यज्ञभाग-विवादः, एकान्तिभक्त्या नारायणदर्शन-नियमः (Śvetadvīpa Journey; Dispute over Sacrificial Share; Rule of Nārāyaṇa-vision through Single-minded Devotion)
शैलराजसुता चैव देवी तत्राभवत् पुरा । तत्र दिव्यं तपस्तेपे कृष्णद्वैयायनस्तदा
śailarājasutā caiva devī tatrābhavat purā | tatra divyaṃ tapastepe kṛṣṇadvaipāyanas tadā ||
Bhīṣma nói: Nơi ấy, thuở xưa, nữ thần—ái nữ của Chúa Tể Núi Non—quả thật hiện diện. Cũng ngay tại chốn ấy, vào thời ấy, Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa) đang hành trì khổ hạnh thiêng liêng.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the sanctity of a place made holy by both divine presence (Umā/Pārvatī) and intense tapas (Vyāsa). Ethically, it underscores reverence for spiritual discipline and the idea that dharma is strengthened where self-restraint and devotion are practiced.
Bhīṣma describes an earlier time at a particular sacred location: the goddess, the mountain-king’s daughter (Umā), was there, and Vyāsa was simultaneously engaged in divine austerities at that very place.