Shloka 18
शकुनि (हिरण्मय-पक्षी) उपदेशः — Vighasāśin and the Difficulty of Gārhasthya
एतद्वो<स्तु तपोयुक्त ददामीत्यूषिचोदितम् । तस्मात् तत् तद् व्यवस्थानं तपस्वितप उच्यते
etad vo 'stu tapoyuktaṁ dadāmīty ūṣicoditam | tasmāt tat tad vyavasthānaṁ tapasvitapa ucyate |
“Let this be for you, endowed with tapas; I grant it”—so it was declared by the inspired seer. Therefore, steadfast commitment to each of those prescribed Vedic duties is called the ‘tapas’ of an ascetic: disciplined engagement in sacrificial action performed with inner austerity, by which the desired fruits are bestowed.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Tapas is not only physical austerity; for a practitioner it can mean unwavering, disciplined adherence to one’s prescribed Vedic duties—especially sacrificial action—performed with inner restraint and seriousness, which becomes the basis for receiving the intended fruits.
A seer’s pronouncement is cited: the rite should be performed ‘with tapas,’ and the fruits will be granted. From this, the text concludes that fully committing oneself to the proper performance of those specific rites is itself the ascetic’s tapas.