Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
पश्यतेमं सुविपुलं तपसा तस्य धीमत: । कथमेवंविध॑ स्याद् वै पार्श्रमन्न्यदिति द्विजा:,उन बुद्धिमान ब्राह्मणकी तपस्यासे मुझे जो यह महान् फल प्राप्त हुआ है, इसे आपलोग अपनी आँखों देख लीजिये। ब्राह्मणो! अब मैं इस चिन्तामें पड़ा कि मेरे शरीरका दूसरा पार्श्व भी कैसे ऐसा ही हो सकता है?
paśyatemaṃ suvipulaṃ tapasā tasya dhīmataḥ | katham evaṃvidhaḥ syād vai pārśvam anyad iti dvijāḥ ||
“Behold with your own eyes this vast result obtained through the austerity (tapas) of that wise man. O twice-born ones (dvija), I am now troubled by this thought: how might the other side of my body also become like this?”
श्षशुर उवाच
The verse highlights faith in tapas (austerity) as a force that yields tangible results (phala). It also suggests an ethical impulse toward completeness and self-improvement—having witnessed a remarkable benefit, the speaker seeks a balanced, fully realized transformation rather than partial attainment.
Addressing Brahmins, the speaker points to a striking, visible outcome produced by a wise person’s austerity and invites them to witness it. He then expresses concern and curiosity about how the other side of his body might likewise attain the same condition, implying a partial transformation or blessing that he wishes to make whole.