Shloka 18
Vidyā–Avidyā and the Twenty-Fifth Principle
Sāṃkhya–Yoga Clarification
तात! आदित्य, वसु, रुद्र, अग्नि, अश्विनीकुमार, वायु, विश्वेदेव, साध्य, पितर, मरुदगण, यक्ष, राक्षस, गन्धर्व, सिद्ध तथा अन्य जो स्वर्गवासी देवता हैं, वे सब-के-सब तपस्यासे ही सिद्धिको प्राप्त हुए हैं ।।
tāta! āditya-vasu-rudrāgnyaśvinīkumāra-vāyu-viśvedeva-sādhya-pitṛ-marudgaṇa-yakṣa-rākṣasa-gandharva-siddhā tathā anye ye svargavāsino devatāḥ, te sarve tapasyaiva siddhiṃ prāptāḥ. ye cādau brāhmaṇāḥ sṛṣṭā brahmaṇā tapasā purā, te bhāvayantaḥ pṛthivīṃ vicaranti divaṃ tathā.
Parāśara dit : «Mon enfant ! Les Ādityas, les Vasus, les Rudras, Agni, les jumeaux Aśvin, Vāyu, les Viśvedevas, les Sādhyas, les Pitṛs, les troupes des Maruts, les Yakṣas, les Rākṣasas, les Gandharvas, les Siddhas, et toutes les autres divinités qui demeurent au ciel—tous, sans exception, ont obtenu leurs pouvoirs et leur accomplissement par l’austérité (tapas) seule. Et les brahmanes créés au commencement par Brahmā grâce au tapas antique—ces sages primordiaux—vont et viennent, sanctifiant la terre et les cieux par la force même de leur discipline ascétique.»
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that true power, status, and spiritual accomplishment—whether of gods or perfected beings—arise from tapas (disciplined austerity). Tapas is presented as a universal means of attainment and as a force that purifies and sustains the cosmos.
Parāśara addresses a listener as “dear child” and lists many celestial classes, asserting that all achieved their heavenly success through austerity. He then points to the primordial Brahmin-sages created by Brahmā, who roam and sanctify earth and heaven through the potency of their tapas.