Shloka 29
Karṇa’s advance against the Pāṇḍava host; Arjuna’s clash with the Saṃśaptakas (कर्णस्य पाण्डवसेनाप्रवेशः—अर्जुनस्य संशप्तकसंप्रहारः)
स तु लब्ध्वा वरं वीरस्तारकाक्षसुतो हरि:,तप उग्र॑ समास्थाय नियमे परमे स्थिता: । उस समय देवताओंने दैत्योंको परास्त कर दिया था, यह हमारे सुननेमें आया है। राजन! दैत्योंके परास्त हो जानेपर तारकासुरके तीन पुत्र ताराक्ष, कमलाक्ष और विद्युन्माली उग्र तपस्याका आश्रय ले उत्तम नियमोंका पालन करने लगे
sa tu labdhvā varaṃ vīras tārakākṣa-suto hariḥ, tapa ugraṃ samāsthāya niyame parame sthitāḥ |
Duryodhana said: “It is heard that at that time the gods defeated the Daityas. O King, when the Daityas had been overcome, the three sons of Tārakāsura—Tārakākṣa, Kamalākṣa, and Vidyunmālī—took refuge in fierce austerities and remained steadfast in the highest disciplines.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring epic ethic: power can be regained or transformed through disciplined austerity (tapas) and strict observance (niyama). Even after defeat, steadfast self-restraint and spiritual effort are portrayed as a means to obtain boons and reassert agency—raising questions about how ascetic power may be used for righteous or destructive ends.
Duryodhana recalls a traditional account: after the gods defeat the Daityas, Tārakāsura’s three sons (Tārakākṣa, Kamalākṣa, Vidyunmālī) undertake severe austerities and maintain strict vows, setting the stage for receiving extraordinary boons and becoming formidable again.