Shloka 10
Nārāyaṇa-tejas: Kṛṣṇa’s Vrata, the Fire-Manifestation, and the Sages’ Inquiry (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय १२६)
“शराबी, चोर, गर्भहत्यारा, गुरुकी शय्यापर शयन करनेवाला पापी भी तपस्याद्वारा सम्पूर्ण संसारसे पार हो जाता है और अपने पापोंसे छुटकारा पा जाता है ।।
śarābī cora garbhahatyārā gurukī śayyāpara śayana karanevālā pāpī api tapasyā-dvārā sampūrṇa-saṃsārāt pāraṃ gacchati sva-pāpebhyaś ca mucyate || sarvavidyas tu cakṣuṣmān api yādṛśatādṛśam | tapasvinaṃ tathaivāhus tābhyāṃ kāryaṃ sadā namaḥ ||
Bhishma dijo: “Incluso un pecador—sea un bebedor, un ladrón, un matador de un no nacido o quien viola el lecho del maestro—puede, mediante la austeridad, cruzar más allá de todo el ciclo de la existencia mundana y quedar libre de sus pecados. Y aun quien posee todas las ciencias y una mirada penetrante, cualesquiera que sean sus logros, se dice que es comparable a un asceta; por ello, debe rendirse siempre reverencia tanto al saber como a la austeridad.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that even grave moral transgressions can be overcome through sincere austerity (tapas), which purifies and enables one to transcend saṃsāra; it also upholds enduring reverence for both disciplined ascetic practice and true learning.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and right conduct. Here he emphasizes the transformative power of tapas as a means of expiation and spiritual crossing beyond worldly bondage, while also affirming the honor due to knowledge and ascetic virtue.