Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 22
Śulka, Kanyā, and Dauhitra-Riktha: Discourse on Bride-Price and Inheritance Rights (शुल्क-कन्या-दौहित्र-रिक्थविचारः)
एतत् श्र॒ुत्वा तु विपुलो विषण्णवदनो5भवत् | एवं तीव्रतपाश्चाहं कष्टश्षायं परिश्रम:
etat śrutvā tu vipulo viṣaṇṇavadano 'bhavat | evaṁ tīvratapaś cāhaṁ kaṣṭaśṣāyaṁ pariśramaḥ |
यह सुनकर विपुल का मुख विषाद से भर गया। उसने सोचा—“मैं तो ऐसी कठोर तपस्या करनेवाला हूँ, फिर भी मेरी दुर्गति होगी; तब तपस्या का यह घोर परिश्रम तो केवल कष्ट ही सिद्ध हुआ।”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Austerity (tapas) by itself is not a guarantee of a good outcome; one must also understand and align with dharma, because the ethical quality and right understanding behind one’s effort determine its true fruit.
After hearing a sobering statement, Vipula becomes visibly distressed and doubts the value of his severe ascetic effort, fearing that even such hardship may still lead to an unfortunate result.