Shloka 5
Nārāyaṇa-tejas: Kṛṣṇa’s Vrata, the Fire-Manifestation, and the Sages’ Inquiry (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय १२६)
अहं दानं प्रशंभामि भवानपि तप:श्रुते । तप: पवित्र वेदस्य तप: स्वर्गस्थ साधनम्
bhīṣma uvāca | ahaṃ dānaṃ praśaṃsāmi bhavān api tapaḥ-śrute | tapaḥ pavitraṃ vedasya tapaḥ svargastha-sādhanam ||
Dijo Bhishma: «Yo alabo la virtud de dar; y tú, versado en la austeridad y en el saber sagrado, también alabas el tapas. En verdad, el tapas purifica; santifica el estudio del Veda y es un medio excelente para alcanzar el cielo».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma affirms that both charity (dāna) and austerity (tapas) are praised within dharma, and he highlights tapas as especially purifying—supporting the sanctity of Vedic engagement and functioning as a strong means toward heavenly merit (svarga).
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anuśāsana Parva), he addresses a learned interlocutor and frames a comparative appreciation of virtues: he commends dāna while acknowledging the other’s emphasis on tapas and sacred learning, then states the spiritual efficacy of tapas.