Shloka 15
मातङ्ग–शक्रसंवादः
Mataṅga–Śakra Dialogue on Tapas, Status, and Moral Qualities
प्रभावात् तपसस्तेषामृषीणां वीक्ष्य पाण्डवा:
prabhāvāt tapasas teṣām ṛṣīṇāṁ vīkṣya pāṇḍavāḥ
Vaiśampāyana dit : Voyant l’éclat né des austérités de ces sages, les Pāṇḍava demeurèrent dans une attention révérencieuse, reconnaissant l’autorité morale et la puissance spirituelle que donne la maîtrise de soi.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Tapas (disciplined austerity) generates prabhāva—moral-spiritual influence that commands respect; dharma is upheld not only by power or status but by inner restraint and realized virtue.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that the Pāṇḍavas behold the sages and, noticing the palpable radiance produced by their austerities, respond with reverence, acknowledging the sages’ spiritual potency and authority.