Shloka 25
Adhyāya 152 — Bhīṣma’s Authorization for Yudhiṣṭhira’s Return to the Capital (नगरप्रवेशानुज्ञा)
बद्दीभिवद्धिभि: स्फीता स्त्रीधर्मज्ञा शुचिस्मिता । शैलराजसूुतां देवीं पुण्या पापभयापहा
buddhibhir vṛddhibhiḥ sphītā strī-dharma-jñā śuci-smitā | śailarāja-sutāṃ devīṃ puṇyā pāpa-bhayāpahā ||
摩醯湿伐罗说道：“恒伽具足丰沛智慧与成熟明辨，通晓妇女应守之责与行仪，含着清净柔和的微笑；她自身亦为圣洁，能除由罪而生的恐惧。她转向山王之女乌玛女神，以轻柔的微笑对她开口。”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames Gaṅgā as an exemplar of purity, mature intelligence, and knowledge of strī-dharma, implying that ethical counsel should come from one who is inwardly pure and discerning, and that holiness dispels the fear rooted in wrongdoing.
Śiva describes Gaṅgā’s qualities and then notes that she turns to Umā (Pārvatī), the daughter of Himālaya, and begins to speak to her with a gentle, pure smile—setting the scene for a moral or dharmic instruction.