Shloka 2
अथापश्यद् वरारोहा तपसा दग्धकिल्बिषम् | विश्वामित्रं तप्यमानं मेनका भीरुराश्रमे,वनमें पहुँचकर भीरु स्वभाववाली सुन्दरी मेनकाने एक आश्रममें विश्वामित्र मुनिको तप करते देखा। वे तपस्याद्वारा अपने समस्त पाप दग्ध कर चुके थे
athāpaśyad varārohā tapasā dagdha-kilbiṣam | viśvāmitraṃ tapyamānaṃ menakā bhīrur āśrame ||
Then Menakā, the fair-limbed maiden of timid nature, came upon the hermitage and saw Viśvāmitra engaged in severe austerities. By the power of his tapas he had already burned away the stains of wrongdoing.
कण्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights tapas as an ethical-spiritual discipline that purifies inner faults (kilbiṣa). It presents austerity and self-restraint as a means of moral cleansing and steadfastness, even when circumstances may later test that restraint.
Kaṇva narrates that Menakā arrives at a hermitage and sees the sage Viśvāmitra absorbed in austerities. He is described as having burned away his sins through tapas, setting the stage for the ensuing encounter and its consequences.