Shloka 29
Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma
न चोत्सहे तपोविध्नं कर्तु ते धर्मचारिणि । तपसो हि परं नास्ति तपसा विन्दते महत्
na cotsahe tapovidhnaṁ kartu te dharmacāriṇi | tapaso hi paraṁ nāsti tapasā vindate mahat ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O righteous lady, I do not have the heart to place any obstacle in the way of your austerity. For nothing is higher than tapas; through austerity one attains the highest good.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates tapas (austerity/discipline) as a supreme spiritual means and an ethical value: one should not obstruct another’s sincere ascetic practice, because tapas leads to the highest good.
Vaiśampāyana reports a speaker addressing a righteous woman engaged in austerities, declaring that he will not interfere with her tapas and affirming its unsurpassed power to yield the greatest attainment.