Shloka 39
Sanatsujāta–Dhṛtarāṣṭra Saṃvāda: Pramāda as Mṛtyu
Chapter 42
दोषैरेतैर्वियुक्तस्तु गुणैरेतै: समन्वित: । एतत् समृद्धमत्यर्थ तपो भवति केवलम्
doṣair etair viyuktas tu guṇair etaiḥ samanvitaḥ | etat samṛddham atyarthaṁ tapo bhavati kevalam ||
Sanatsujāta said: “One who is free from these faults and endowed with these virtues—his austerity alone becomes truly and exceedingly fruitful. Such purified discipline, grounded in restraint and truth, is what makes spiritual practice effective: it cleanses sin and is held to dispel the suffering bound up with birth, death, and old age. O King, this is the concise answer to what you asked.”
सनत्युजात उवाच
Educational Q&A
Austerity becomes truly effective only when it is purified by removing moral faults (doṣa) and strengthened by cultivating virtues (guṇa). Ethical transformation is presented as the necessary foundation for spiritual practice.
In the Sanatsujātīya dialogue of the Udyoga Parva, Sanatsujāta answers the king’s inquiry by summarizing that genuine tapas is not mere external practice but inner purification—freedom from vices and possession of virtues—making the discipline fruitful and purifying.