Vidyā–Avidyā and the Twenty-Fifth Principle
Sāṃkhya–Yoga Clarification
मर्त्यलोके च राजानो ये चान्ये गृहमेधिन: । महाकुलेषु दृश्यन्ते तत् सर्व तपस: फलम्
martyaloke ca rājāno ye cānye gṛhamedhinaḥ | mahākuleṣu dṛśyante tat sarvaṃ tapasaḥ phalam ||
Parāśara dijo: «También en el mundo de los mortales, los reyes y soberanos—y asimismo otros cabezas de familia—que se ven nacer y afirmarse en linajes grandes y nobles: todo ello es fruto de la austeridad (tapas).»
पराशर उवाच
High status in society—such as kingship or birth in an eminent lineage—is presented as the karmic fruit of tapas (austerity/discipline), emphasizing moral causality rather than mere chance or pride of birth.
In Śānti Parva, Parāśara is instructing about the results of spiritual discipline, pointing to visible worldly prosperity and noble birth among rulers and householders as outcomes produced by prior austerity.