Shloka 11
मृत्योर्ब्रह्मणा नियोजनम् — The Commissioning of Mṛtyu by Brahmā
वेदस्योपनिषत् सत्यं सत्यस्योपनिषद् दम: । दमस्योपनिषद् दानं दानस्योपनिषत् तपः,वेदका सार है सत्य वचन, सत्यका सार है इन्द्रियोंका संयम, संयमका सार है दान और दानका सार है तपस्या
vedasyopaniṣat satyaṃ satyasyopaniṣad damaḥ | damasyopaniṣad dānaṃ dānasyopaniṣat tapaḥ ||
Vyāsa said: “The inner essence of the Veda is truth; the inner essence of truth is self-restraint (dama). The inner essence of self-restraint is giving (dāna), and the inner essence of giving is austerity (tapas)—disciplined spiritual effort. Thus the teaching rises from right speech and integrity, to mastery of the senses, to generosity, and finally to rigorous practice as the deepest support of ethical life.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a graded ethical hierarchy: truth is the heart of sacred knowledge; truth is sustained by self-restraint; self-restraint expresses itself through generosity; and the deepest foundation of generosity is tapas—disciplined austerity that purifies motives and strengthens virtue.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Vyāsa delivers a concise aphoristic teaching, summarizing how inner virtues support one another and culminate in tapas as the sustaining discipline behind truthful, restrained, and generous living.