Shloka 243

Uttanka’s Inquiry and Vāsudeva’s Adhyātma Exposition

Guṇa–Ritual–Immanence Teaching

Devanagari script

न च ते तपसो नाशमिच्छामि तपतां वर । मैं आपको अध्यात्मतत्त्व सुना रहा हूँ। उसे सुननेके पश्चात्‌ यदि आपकी इच्छा हो तो आज मुझे शाप दीजियेगा। तपस्वी पुरुषोंमें श्रेष्ठ महर्ष!ी आप यह याद रखिये कि कोई भी पुरुष थोड़ी-सी तपस्याके बलपर मेरा तिरस्कार नहीं कर सकता। मैं नहीं चाहता कि आपकी तपस्या नष्ट हो जाय

Transliteration

na ca te tapaso nāśam icchāmi tapatāṃ vara | adhyātma-tattvaṃ te śṛṇu; tac chrutvā yadi tecchā syāt, adya māṃ śāpaṃ dāsyasi | tapasvināṃ variṣṭha maharṣe, idaṃ smara—na kaścid alpa-tapasā māṃ tiraskartuṃ śaknoti | na icchāmi tava tapasāṃ nāśaḥ bhavet |

Translation

Vāyu dit : « Je ne souhaite pas que ton austérité soit anéantie, ô le meilleur des ascètes. Je vais t’exposer la vérité du Soi ; après l’avoir entendue, si tu le désires encore, tu pourras aujourd’hui me maudire. Mais souviens-t’en, grand ṛṣi, le premier parmi les austères : nul homme, fort d’une pénitence légère, ne peut me traiter avec mépris. Je ne veux pas que ton tapas, acquis au prix d’efforts, soit détruit. »

Word by Word

• {'na ca': 'and not

• nor', 'te': 'your (to you)', 'tapasaḥ': 'of austerity

• of penance (tapas)', 'nāśam': 'destruction

• ruin', 'icchāmi': 'I wish

• I desire', 'tapatām vara': 'O best among those who practice austerity', 'adhyātma-tattvam': 'the truth/principle of the Self

• spiritual reality', 'śṛṇu/śṛṇomi (contextual)': 'hear

• listen', 'śrutvā': 'having heard', 'icchā': 'desire

• intention', 'adya': 'today

• now', 'śāpam': 'curse', 'dāsyasi': 'you will give

• you may bestow', 'tapasvinām variṣṭha': 'foremost among ascetics', 'maharṣe': 'O great seer', 'smara': 'remember', 'kaścit': 'anyone

• any person', 'alpa-tapasā': 'with little austerity

• by slight penance', 'tiraskartuṃ': 'to insult

• to treat with contempt', 'śaknoti': 'is able

• can', 'bhavet': 'might be

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva (the Wind-god)
• Mahārṣi (addressed sage/ascetic)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Spiritual power (tapas) should be protected and guided toward self-knowledge; anger and cursing can squander merit, so one should listen to adhyātma first and act with restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva addresses a great ascetic who is inclined to curse him; Vāyu urges him to hear a teaching on the Self first, warning that contempt or rash cursing—especially based on limited tapas—can lead to the loss of austerity’s fruit.