Shloka 41

Sarasvatī–Tārkṣya Saṃvāda: Agnihotra-vidhi, Dāna-phala, and Mokṣa-prasaṅga (सरस्वती–तार्क्ष्यसंवादः)

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच तथा वदति वार्ष्णेये धर्मराजे च भारत । अथ पश्चात्‌ तपोवृद्धों बहुवर्षमहस्रधूकू

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca tathā vadati vārṣṇeye dharmarāje ca bhārata | atha paścāt tapovṛddho bahuvarṣasahasradhūkū ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dijo: Mientras Vārṣṇeya (Kṛṣṇa) hablaba así, y mientras Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira) escuchaba, oh Bhārata, después apareció uno engrandecido por la austeridad: alguien que había soportado y practicado tapas durante muchos miles de años.

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaiśampāyana

उवाचsaid

तथाthus, in that manner

वदतिspeaks, says

वार्ष्णेयेin/with Vārṣṇeya (Kṛṣṇa)

धर्मराजेin/with Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira)

चand

भारतO Bhārata

अथthen, now

पश्चात्afterwards

तपोवृद्धःone grown/increased by austerity

बहुवर्षसहस्रधृक्bearing (the burden of) many thousands of years

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Vārṣṇeya (Kṛṣṇa)

Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira)

Bhārata (Janamejaya as addressee)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds the ethical authority of tapas: spiritual discipline and long-term austerity are presented as sources of maturity and credibility, preparing the ground for counsel or a consequential encounter.

What is happening in the narrative?

It is a transition: as Kṛṣṇa (Vārṣṇeya) speaks and Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja) listens, the narration shifts to what happens next—an ascetic, renowned for immense austerities over thousands of years, comes into the scene (the exact descriptor is unclear due to the transmitted reading).