Mahabharata 3.37.12 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 37, Shloka 12
Vyāsa’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira: Pratismṛti-vidyā, Arjuna’s Aśtra-Quest, and the Move to Kāmyaka
देवतानां यथाकाल प्रसादं प्रतिपालय । तपसा योजयात्मानमुग्रेण भरतर्षभ
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | devatānāṃ yathākālaṃ prasādaṃ pratipālaya | tapasā yojayātmānam ugreṇa bharatarṣabha | dhanuḥ-kavaca-khaḍga-dhārī sādhu-vrate sthitaḥ | maunāvalambana-pūrvaṃ na kasyacid ākramasya mārgaṃ dadan | uttarāṃ diśaṃ gaccha |
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “At the proper times, maintain and secure the favor of the gods. O bull among the Bharatas, yoke yourself to fierce austerity. Bearing bow, armor, and sword, established in a holy vow and supported by silence, give no one an opening for attack; proceed toward the northern direction.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches disciplined dharma: seek divine favor through timely, proper observance; cultivate intense tapas and self-control; adopt vows such as silence; and move with vigilance so as not to invite conflict—spiritual practice joined with prudent conduct.
Yudhiṣṭhira instructs the addressed Bharata hero to undertake an ascetic, vow-bound course of action: propitiate the gods at the right times, commit to severe austerities, travel north while armed and protected, keep silence, and avoid giving adversaries any chance to attack.
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