Shloka 38
त्रिवर्गविचारः
Tri-varga Deliberation: Dharma, Artha, Kāma
पुनश्च परिपप्रच्छ भीष्म धर्मभूतां वरम् । तप: प्रति स चोवाच तस्मै सर्व कुरूद्गबह,कुरुश्रेष्ठ! तत्पश्चात् उन्होंने धर्मात्माओंमें श्रेष्ठ भीष्मजी से पुनः तपस्याके विषयमें प्रश्न किया। तब भीष्मजीने उन्हें उसके विषयमें सब कुछ बताना आरम्भ किया
punar ca paripapraccha bhīṣmaṃ dharmabhūtāṃ varam | tapaḥ prati sa covāca tasmai sarvaṃ kurūdgvaha kuruśreṣṭha ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then he again questioned Bhīṣma, the foremost among the righteous, about the nature of austerity (tapas). Thereupon Bhīṣma began to explain everything to him—O bearer of the Kuru line, O best of the Kurus—setting forth the principles and purpose of tapas within dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames tapas as a dharmic subject worthy of careful inquiry: disciplined self-restraint and spiritual effort are to be understood through authoritative instruction, not mere impulse, and are presented as integral to righteous living and governance.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, the inquirer again asks Bhīṣma—renowned for dharma—specifically about tapas. Bhīṣma then begins a systematic explanation addressed to the Kuru king, continuing the didactic sequence of questions and answers.