Shloka 16
ययाति–अष्टक–प्रतर्दन संवादः | Yayāti’s Dialogue with Aṣṭaka and Pratardana on Merit, Gifts, and Ethical Restraint
ततश्न वायुभक्षो5भूत् संवत्सरमतन्द्रित: । तथा पज्चाग्निमध्ये च तपस्तेपे च वत्सरम्,तत्पश्चात् वे आलस्यरहित हो एक वर्षतक केवल वायु पीकर रहे। फिर एक वर्षतक पाँच अग्नियोंके बीचमें बैठकर तपस्या की
tataś ca vāyu-bhakṣo 'bhūt saṃvatsaram atandritaḥ | tathā pañcāgni-madhye ca tapas tepe ca vatsaram ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Thereafter, remaining free from lethargy, he lived for a full year sustaining himself only on air. Then, for another year, he performed severe austerities seated amid the five fires—an act of disciplined self-control undertaken to purify himself and strengthen his resolve.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights tapas as disciplined endurance: overcoming laziness (atandrita) and voluntarily accepting hardship to purify the mind and strengthen commitment to dharma.
The narrator reports a sequence of extreme ascetic practices: first, living for a year on air alone, and next, performing austerities for a year while seated amid the five fires—signaling intensified spiritual effort.