Shloka 3
Tapas-śreṣṭhatā: Anāśana as the Highest Austerity
Bhagīratha–Brahmā Saṃvāda
भीष्म उवाच तप: प्रचक्षते यावत् तावल्लोको युधिष्छिर । मतं ममात्र कौन्तेय तपो नानशनात् परम्
Bhīṣma uvāca: tapaḥ pracakṣate yāvat tāvāl loko Yudhiṣṭhira; mataṃ mamātra Kaunteya, tapo nānāśanāt param.
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô Yudhiṣṭhira, on dit qu’un homme atteint des mondes plus élevés à mesure de l’austérité qu’il accomplit. Pourtant, ô fils de Kuntī, selon moi il n’est pas d’austérité plus grande que le jeûne.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that spiritual merit and the attainment of higher realms correspond to one’s austerity, and he elevates fasting (anāśana) as the supreme form of tapas—highlighting restraint over bodily appetite as a powerful ethical-spiritual discipline.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and disciplines that generate merit. Here he addresses Yudhishthira directly, stating a general principle about tapas and then giving his specific judgment that fasting surpasses other austerities.