Shloka 6
Vṛddha-kanyā-carita and Balarāma’s Kurukṣetra Inquiry (वृद्धकन्या-चरितम् / कुरुक्षेत्रफल-प्रश्नः)
तस्यातितपस: शक्रो बिभेति सततं विभो । न स लोभयितुं शक््य: फलैर्बहुविधैरपि,प्रभो! उनकी भारी तपस्यासे इन्द्र सदा डरते रहते थे। नाना प्रकारके फलोंका प्रलोभन देनेपर भी उन्हें लुभाया नहीं जा सकता था
tasyātitapasaḥ śakro bibheti satataṃ vibho | na sa lobhayituṃ śakyaḥ phalair bahuvidhair api |
Vaiśampāyana dijo: Por sus austeridades extraordinarias, Indra (Śakra) vivía continuamente atemorizado. Aquel asceta no podía ser seducido ni desviado—ni siquiera ofreciéndole recompensas de muchas clases—mostrando cuán firme puede alzarse el dominio de sí y el tapas por encima de los incentivos mundanos.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True tapas implies unwavering discipline: one who is firmly established in austerity and self-restraint is not easily diverted by attractive ‘fruits’ (rewards), even when offered by powerful forces.
The narrator states that Indra is continually apprehensive of a certain ascetic’s intense austerities and that attempts to lure him with various rewards (phalāni) fail, emphasizing the ascetic’s steadfastness.