Shloka 3
अहिंसा-आत्मौपम्य-उपदेशः | Instruction on Ahiṃsā and Self-Comparison Ethics
भीष्म उवाच मार्गशीर्षस्य मासस्य चन्द्रे मूलेन संयुते । पादौ मूलेन राजेन्द्र जड्धायामथ रोहिणीम्
bhīṣma uvāca mārgaśīrṣasya māsasya candre mūlena saṃyute | pādau mūlena rājendra jaḍḍhāyām atha rohiṇīm |
毗湿摩说道：“大王啊，在摩伽尸罗月（Mārgaśīrṣa），当月亮与月宿‘牟罗’（Mūla）相合之时，应当开始月神之戒行（vrata）。观想月之形相时，当念其双足系属于牟罗（并诸天神同在），继而将‘罗希尼’（Rohiṇī）安置于小腿之处。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches disciplined devotion through correct timing (Moon conjoined with Mūla) and structured visualization of the deity (mapping nakṣatras onto the Moon’s limbs), presenting dharma as practice that unites calendar-knowledge, vow-taking, and contemplative focus.
Bhishma instructs the king on how to begin a Chandra-related observance in Mārgaśīrṣa: when the Moon is in Mūla, the practitioner should start the vow and meditate on the Moon’s form, assigning Mūla to the feet and Rohiṇī to the calves as part of the ritual visualization.