Shloka 18
शकुनि (हिरण्मय-पक्षी) उपदेशः — Vighasāśin and the Difficulty of Gārhasthya
एतद्वो<स्तु तपोयुक्त ददामीत्यूषिचोदितम् । तस्मात् तत् तद् व्यवस्थानं तपस्वितप उच्यते
etad vo 'stu tapoyuktaṁ dadāmīty ūṣicoditam | tasmāt tat tad vyavasthānaṁ tapasvitapa ucyate |
«Que ceci soit pour vous, accompagné de tapas ; je l’accorde», ainsi le déclara le voyant inspiré. C’est pourquoi l’attachement ferme à chacun des devoirs védiques prescrits est appelé le “tapas” d’un ascète : un engagement discipliné dans l’action sacrificielle, accompli avec une austérité intérieure, par laquelle sont accordés les fruits désirés.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Tapas is not only physical austerity; for a practitioner it can mean unwavering, disciplined adherence to one’s prescribed Vedic duties—especially sacrificial action—performed with inner restraint and seriousness, which becomes the basis for receiving the intended fruits.
A seer’s pronouncement is cited: the rite should be performed ‘with tapas,’ and the fruits will be granted. From this, the text concludes that fully committing oneself to the proper performance of those specific rites is itself the ascetic’s tapas.