Shloka 18

Varṇa-lakṣaṇa and Ātma-saṃyama (Marks of Social Conduct and Self-Restraint) | वर्णलक्षणम् एवं आत्मसंयमः

Devanagari script

दीर्घकालेन तपसा सेवितेन तपोवने । धर्मनिर्धूतपापानां सम्पद्यन्ते मनोरथा:,तपोवनमें रहकर की हुई दीर्घकालतककी तपस्यासे तथा धर्मसे जिनके सारे पाप धुल गये हैं, उनके सम्पूर्ण मनोरथ सफल हो जाते हैं

Transliteration

dīrghakālena tapasā sevitena tapovane | dharmanirdhūtapāpānāṃ sampadyante manorathāḥ ||

Translation

قال بهيشما: بالزهد الطويل الذي يُمارَس مع الإقامة في غابة التنسّك (تابوفانا)، وبالعيش وفق الدارما، تُغسَل خطايا أهل الانضباط؛ ولمن تطهّروا على هذا النحو تتحقق مقاصدهم ورغائب قلوبهم.

Word by Word

दीर्घकालेनby/with a long time

तपसाby austerity, by penance

सेवितेनpractised/observed

तपोवनेin the forest of austerities (hermitage-grove)

धर्मनिर्धूतपापानाम्of those whose sins are washed away by dharma

सम्पद्यन्तेare fulfilled, come to fruition

मनोरथाःwishes, desired aims

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Tapovana (forest of penance/ascetic grove)

Dharma

Tapas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Sustained tapas supported by dharmic conduct purifies past wrongdoing; when inner impurity is removed, one’s legitimate aims naturally find completion.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous living, Bhīṣma teaches that long-term ascetic discipline in a tapovana, together with adherence to dharma, leads to the cleansing of sin and the fulfillment of one’s aspirations.