Shloka 24
उशनसः (शुक्रस्य) चरितम् — The Account of Uśanā (Śukra): Yoga, Grievance, and Pacification
वृत्र बवाच प्रत्यक्षमेतद् भवतस्तथान्येषां मनीषिणाम् । मया यज्जयलुब्धेन पुरा तप्तं महत् तप:
Vṛtra uvāca pratyakṣam etad bhavatas tathānyēṣāṁ manīṣiṇām | mayā yaj-jaya-lubdhena purā taptaṁ mahat tapaḥ ||
Vṛtra dijo: «¡Oh brahmán!, esto es evidente para ti y también para los demás sabios: en tiempos pasados, movido por la codicia de la victoria, emprendí una austeridad sumamente severa.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that austerity (tapas) is ethically colored by intention: even great spiritual effort can be compromised when driven by craving for victory or power. It points toward examining motives, not merely actions.
Within Bhīṣma’s discourse, a quoted speech of Vṛtra appears: Vṛtra addresses a revered listener (implicitly Brahmā and other sages), stating that they have directly witnessed his earlier, intense austerities performed out of desire for victory.