Shloka 5
शरीर योक्तुमिच्छामि तपसोग्रेण भारत । उपदिष्टमिहेच्छामि तत्त्वतो5हं विशाम्पते,भारत! प्रजानाथ! मैं अपने शरीरको कठोर तपस्याके द्वारा सुखा डालना चाहता हूँ और इसके विषयमें आपका यथार्थ उपदेश ग्रहण करना चाहता हूँ
śarīraṃ yoktum icchāmi tapasogreṇa bhārata | upadiṣṭam ihēcchāmi tattvato 'haṃ viśāṃpate ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O Bhārata, I wish to discipline and restrain my body through severe austerity. O lord of the people, I desire here to receive from you a true instruction on this matter—according to its real principles.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames austerity (tapas) as a disciplined yoking of the body, but insists that such practice must be guided by correct understanding (tattvataḥ). It highlights that ethical self-restraint is not mere self-torture; it requires principled instruction so that tapas supports dharma rather than ego, excess, or harm.
Yudhiṣṭhira, seeking a dharmic path after the great war, expresses a desire to undertake severe austerities to restrain his body. He respectfully addresses his elder/teacher figure as “Bhārata” and “lord of the people,” requesting a truthful, well-grounded teaching on how such austerity should be undertaken.