Shloka 3
गान्धारीपुत्रोत्पत्तिः — The Birth of Gāndhārī’s Hundred Sons (and Yuyutsu); Omens and Counsel on Succession
स आश्रमपदद्धारि वृक्षमूले महातपा: । ऊर्ध्वबाहुर्महायोगी तस्थौ मौनव्रतान्वित:
sa āśramapadaddhāri vṛkṣamūle mahātapāḥ | ūrdhvabāhur mahāyogī tasthau maunavratānvitāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: At the entrance of his hermitage, beneath the root of a tree, that great ascetic—an eminent yogin—stood with both arms raised upward, observing a vow of silence and performing severe austerities.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights tapas and restraint as ethical disciplines: silence (mauna) and bodily endurance (standing with raised arms) symbolize mastery over speech and senses, presenting ascetic self-control as a path to spiritual authority.
Vaiśampāyana describes a great ascetic at his hermitage entrance, standing beneath a tree with arms raised, maintaining a vow of silence while performing intense austerities—setting the scene for the rishi’s spiritual stature and the events connected to him.