Shloka 61
अध्याय ३५१ — उञ्छवृत्ति-व्रतसिद्धेः मानुषस्य परमगतिः
Sūrya–Nāga Dialogue on the Perfected Gleaner-Ascetic
मया हि सुमहत् तप्तं तप: परमदारुणम् | पुरा मतिमतां श्रेष्ठा: परमेण समाधिना,“बुद्धिमानोंमें श्रेष्ठ शिष्यगण! पूर्वकालमें मैंने उत्तम समाधिके द्वारा अत्यन्त कठोर एवं बड़ी भारी तपस्या की थी
mayā hi sumahat taptaṁ tapaḥ paramadāruṇam | purā matimatāṁ śreṣṭhāḥ parameṇa samādhinā ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô disciples, les plus éminents parmi les esprits avisés ! Jadis, j’entrepris une austérité immense—d’une rigueur extrême et d’une difficulté redoutable—soutenue par la plus haute concentration méditative.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds tapas (disciplined austerity) supported by supreme samādhi (deep concentration) as a means of inner mastery. Ethically, it implies that genuine authority in dharma-discourse is grounded in self-control and sustained spiritual effort rather than mere speech.
Vaiśampāyana addresses a group of intelligent disciples and begins a recollection: he states that in ancient times he performed an immense and very severe austerity through the highest meditative absorption, setting the stage for a subsequent teaching or account arising from that practice.