Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment
Parāśara’s Instruction
यज्ञवाहाय दान्ताय तप्यायातपनाय च | नमस्तटाय तट्याय तटानां पतये नमः
yajñavāhāya dāntāya tapyāyātapanāya ca | namas taṭāya taṭyāya taṭānāṃ pataye namaḥ ||
यज्ञ को वहन करने वाले, दान्त (संयमी) को, तप्य (तपःस्वरूप) तथा आतपन (तप-उष्णता सहने वाले) को नमस्कार। तट को नमस्कार, तटसम्बन्धी को नमस्कार; और समस्त तटों के स्वामी को भी नमस्कार।
भीष्म उवाच
Ethical steadiness is rooted in reverence for yajña (ordered duty and sacred offering) and tapas (disciplined self-restraint). By praising the bearer of sacrifice and the ascetic power of endurance, the verse elevates self-control and sustained practice as foundations of dharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction, Bhīṣma is reciting a devotional formula of salutations (stuti/namaskāra), invoking a revered power through multiple epithets—linked to sacrifice, austerity, and the protective boundary of river-banks—before continuing his broader teaching on dharma and right conduct.