Shloka 20

Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma

Devanagari script

प्रयोजन च निर्वत्तं जीवितस्य ममानघ । उग्र॑ तप: समास्थास्ये त्वमनुज्ञातुमहसि

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: prayojanaṃ ca nirvṛttaṃ jīvitasya mamānagha | ugraṃ tapaḥ samāsthāsye tvam anu jñātum arhasi ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “O blameless one, the purpose of my continued life has now been fulfilled. Through your presence and through Vyāsa’s ascetic power I have beheld my sons—Duryodhana and the others—who have passed to the next world. Therefore I shall now undertake severe austerities. You ought to grant me permission for this.”

Word by Word

• {'prayojanam': 'purpose, aim, intended end', 'ca': 'and', 'nirvṛttam': 'accomplished, completed, brought to fulfillment', 'jīvitasya': 'of life, of living', 'mama': 'my', 'anagha': 'O sinless/blameless one (vocative address)', 'ugram': 'fierce, severe, intense', 'tapaḥ': 'austerity, ascetic practice, spiritual heat/discipline', 'samāsthāsye': 'I shall undertake

• I will enter upon (future sense)', 'tvam': 'you', 'anujñātum': 'to permit, to give leave/consent', 'arhasi': 'you ought to

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Duryodhana
• Vyāsa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When worldly aims are exhausted and emotional closure is attained, one may turn toward disciplined renunciation (tapas). The verse frames austerity not as escapism but as a dharmic next step after fulfilling one’s remaining obligations and resolving grief.

What is happening in the narrative?

After being granted a vision of his departed sons (Duryodhana and others) through Vyāsa’s ascetic power, the speaker declares that his reason for continuing to live is fulfilled and asks for permission to withdraw into severe austerities.