Shloka 3
मायामोह-प्रवर्तन, वेदमार्ग-बहिष्कार, तथा पाषण्ड-संसर्ग-दोषः
Māyāmoha’s Delusion, Rejection of the Vedic Path, and the Fault of Heretical Association
भो दैत्यपतयो ब्रूत यदर्थं तप्यते तपः ऐहिकं वाथ पारत्र्यं तपसः फलम् इच्छथ
bho daityapatayo brūta yadarthaṃ tapyate tapaḥ aihikaṃ vātha pāratryaṃ tapasaḥ phalam icchatha
হে দৈত্যপতিসকল, স্পষ্টকৈ কোৱা—এই তপস্যা কিহৰ বাবে? তোমালোকে ইহলোকৰ ফল বিচাৰিছা নে পৰলোকৰ প্ৰতিফল?
A divine interlocutor addressing the Daitya leaders (contextually a higher authority questioning the intent behind their tapas)
FAQs
This verse frames austerity as intention-driven: tapas can yield temporal power and boons, or it can be directed toward higher, transcendent aims—placing desire under scrutiny within cosmic order.
It repeatedly distinguishes tapas aimed at dominion and enjoyment from tapas aligned with dharma and ultimate good; the question here functions as a moral diagnostic before any result is granted.
Even when not named in the verse, the Purana’s theology implies that the fruits of tapas operate within a higher sovereignty—ultimately under Vishnu’s supreme ordering of cause, merit, and consequence.