Shloka 1
Śulka, Kanyā, and Dauhitra-Riktha: Discourse on Bride-Price and Inheritance Rights (शुल्क-कन्या-दौहित्र-रिक्थविचारः)
अफ्-४-णक+ द्विचत्वारिशोड ध्याय: पलक गुड आज्ञासे दिव्य पुष्प लाकर उन्हें देना और द्वारा किये गये दुष्कर्मका स्मरण करना भीष्म उवाच विपुलस्त्वकरोत् तीव्र तपः कृत्वा गुरोर्वच: । तपोयुक्तमथात्मानममन्यत स वीर्यवान्
Bhīṣma uvāca | vipulas tv akarot tīvrāṁ tapaḥ kṛtvā guror vacaḥ | tapoyuktam athātmānam amanyata sa vīryavān ||
Bhishma sprach: „O König, Vipula befolgte den Befehl seines Lehrers und unterzog sich äußerst strenger Askese. Mit der Kraft, die aus dieser Buße erwuchs, begann der Tapfere, sich selbst für einen großen Asketen zu halten.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Obedience to the guru and disciplined tapas can generate great inner power, but the verse also signals an ethical caution: spiritual achievement should not become a cause for self-importance; humility must accompany austerity.
Bhishma begins describing Vipula: he follows his teacher’s instruction and performs intense penance. As a result, his strength increases and he starts to think of himself as a major ascetic, setting up later consequences in the story.