Shloka 114
Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment
Parāśara’s Instruction
स्थूल जीर्णाड़ जटिले वलल््कलाजिनधारिणे । दीप्तसूर्याग्निजटिले वलकलाजिनवाससे । सहसतसूर्यप्रतिम तपोनित्य नमो<स्तु ते
sthūla-jīrṇāḍa-jaṭile valkalājinadhāriṇe | dīpta-sūryāgni-jaṭile valkalājinavāsase | sahasra-sūrya-pratima tapo-nitya namo 'stu te ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Salut à toi : ta forme sacrée paraît robuste et pourtant usée par l’âge ; tu portes les cheveux en jata, vêtu de fibres d’écorce et de peau d’antilope. Tes mèches flamboyantes brillent comme le soleil et le feu ; l’écorce et la peau sont tes seuls vêtements. Rayonnant comme mille soleils et toujours voué à l’austérité, je me prosterne devant toi.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse upholds the ascetic ideal: a life of simplicity (bark and hide), disciplined tapas, and inner radiance is worthy of the highest respect. It implies that spiritual merit and authority arise from self-control and sustained practice rather than external status.
Bhīṣma offers a formal salutation to a powerful ascetic figure, praising visible marks of renunciation—matted hair, austere clothing, and fiery radiance—while acknowledging the ascetic’s constant engagement in tapas. This fits the Śānti Parva’s broader setting of instruction and reverence for dharmic exemplars.