Shloka 3
युधिष्ठिरप्रश्नः—विश्वामित्रस्य ब्राह्मणत्वकौतूहलम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry on Viśvāmitra’s Attainment of Brāhmaṇya
तेन हामितवीर्येण वसिष्ठस्य महात्मन: । हतं॑ पुत्रशतं सद्यस्तपसापि पितामह,पितामह! अमित पराक्रमी विश्वामित्रने अपनी तपस्याके प्रभावसे महात्मा वसिष्ठके सौ पुत्रोंको तत्काल नष्ट कर दिया था इति श्रीमहाभारते अनुशासनपर्वणि दानधर्मपर्वणि विश्वामित्रोपाख्याने तृतीयो5ध्याय:
tena amita-vīryeṇa vasiṣṭhasya mahātmanaḥ | hataṃ putra-śataṃ sadyas tapasā api pitāmaha pitāmaha ||
O Grandsire! By the power of that man of immeasurable prowess—Viśvāmitra—through the force of his austerities (tapas), the hundred sons of the great-souled Vasiṣṭha were destroyed at once. The passage underscores how tapas, when driven by rivalry and anger, can become a fearsome instrument of harm rather than a means of self-mastery and dharma.
युधिछिर उवाच