Shloka 12
संधेयासंधेय-पुरुषनिर्णयः (Criteria for Allies and Non-Allies) — with the opening of the Gautama narrative
तप: परायणा: सर्वे सिद्ध्यन्ति तपसा च ते । इत्येवं तपसा देवा महत्त्व प्रतिपेदिरे
tapaḥ-parāyaṇāḥ sarve siddhyanti tapasā ca te | ityevaṁ tapasā devā mahattvaṁ pratipedire |
Bhīṣma dit : Tous les êtres sont tournés vers l’austérité ; par l’austérité ils atteignent plénitude et réussite. C’est ainsi que même les dieux ont obtenu leur grandeur sublime par l’austérité—montrant que la maîtrise de soi, disciplinée et constante, est un moyen universel d’élévation spirituelle et morale.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Tapas—disciplined austerity and self-restraint—is presented as a universal means of attaining siddhi (accomplishment) and mahattva (greatness). Even the gods are said to have reached eminence through tapas, underscoring its ethical and spiritual power.
In the Shanti Parva instruction, Bhishma is teaching about dharma and the sources of true excellence. He emphasizes that success and elevated status arise from sustained austerity, using the gods as an authoritative example.