Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तपसैव ससर्जान्न फलमूलानि यानि च । त्रील्लॉकांस्तपसा सिद्धा: पश्यन्ति सुसमाहिता:,जो-जो फल, मूल और अन्न हैं, उनको विधाताने तपसे ही उत्पन्न किया है। तपस्यासे सिद्ध हुए एकाग्रचित्त महात्मा पुरुष तीनों लोकोंको प्रत्यक्ष देखते हैं

Transliteration

tapasāiva sasarjānna-phala-mūlāni yāni ca | trīl lokāṁs tapasā siddhāḥ paśyanti susamāhitāḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma sprach: „Allein durch Tapas erschuf der Schöpfer Nahrung, Früchte und Wurzeln. Und die großen Seelen, die durch Tapas Vollendung erlangt haben—standhaft und tief gesammelt—schauen die drei Welten unmittelbar.“

Word by Word

तपसाby austerity

एवindeed/only

ससर्जcreated/produced

अन्नम्food/grain

फलमूलानिfruits and roots

यानिwhich

चand

त्रीन्three

लोकान्worlds/realms

तपसाby austerity

सिद्धाःaccomplished/perfected

पश्यन्तिsee

सुसमाहिताःwell-collected (in mind), deeply concentrated

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

the Creator (Vidhātṛ/Dhātṛ implied)

food (anna)

fruits (phala)

roots (mūla)

the three worlds (triloka)

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?

Tapas (disciplined austerity) is presented as both a cosmic creative force—by which sustenance like food, fruits, and roots arise—and a spiritual force that purifies and concentrates the mind, enabling perfected sages to directly perceive the three worlds.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and higher conduct, Bhīṣma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira about the power of tapas: it underlies creation and supports extraordinary knowledge/vision in those who have attained steadiness and inner collectedness.