Shloka 33
Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: Abhaya, Anugraha, and the Ethics of Honoring the Worthy (दानश्रेष्ठता: अभय-अनुग्रह-विप्रपूजा)
यः स देवमनुष्याणां भयमुत्पादयिष्यति । त्रयाणामेव लोकानां सत्यमेतद् ब्रवीमि ते
yaḥ sa devamanuṣyāṇāṁ bhayam utpādayiṣyati | trayāṇām eva lokānāṁ satyam etad bravīmi te ||
Cyavana dit : «Ce petit-fils qui est le tien, par la puissance de ses austérités, deviendra une cause de crainte pour les dieux comme pour les hommes—oui, pour les trois mondes. Je te dis là la vérité nue».
च्यवन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Austerity (tapas) is portrayed as a morally weighty power: when intensified, it can shake the balance of the worlds and compel even gods to respond. The verse cautions that spiritual potency, if unchecked by dharma and self-restraint, can become a cause of fear rather than welfare.
Cyavana makes a truthful prediction to his listener: the listener’s grandson, empowered by severe tapas, will generate fear among gods and humans and across the three worlds. The statement functions as a warning and a declaration of the extraordinary consequences of ascetic power.