Shloka 38
त्रिवर्गविचारः
Tri-varga Deliberation: Dharma, Artha, Kāma
पुनश्च परिपप्रच्छ भीष्म धर्मभूतां वरम् । तप: प्रति स चोवाच तस्मै सर्व कुरूद्गबह
punar ca paripapraccha bhīṣmaṃ dharmabhūtāṃ varam | tapaḥ prati sa covāca tasmai sarvaṃ kurūdgvaha kuruśreṣṭha ||
Dijo Vaiśaṃpāyana: Entonces volvió a interrogar a Bhīṣma, el más eminente entre los justos, acerca de la naturaleza de la austeridad (tapas). Y Bhīṣma comenzó a explicárselo todo—oh sostén de la estirpe de los Kuru, oh el mejor de los Kuru—exponiendo los principios y el propósito del tapas dentro del dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames tapas as a dharmic subject worthy of careful inquiry: disciplined self-restraint and spiritual effort are to be understood through authoritative instruction, not mere impulse, and are presented as integral to righteous living and governance.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, the inquirer again asks Bhīṣma—renowned for dharma—specifically about tapas. Bhīṣma then begins a systematic explanation addressed to the Kuru king, continuing the didactic sequence of questions and answers.