Shloka 22
अध्याय ३३७ — ज्ञानमार्ग-वैविध्यप्रश्नः तथा व्यासस्य नारायणोद्भवकथा
Systems of Knowledge and Vyāsa’s Nārāyaṇa-Origin
तप्त्वा वर्षसहस्त्राणि चरित्वा तप उत्तमम् | एकपादा: स्थिता: सम्यक् काष्ठ भूता: समाहिता:
taptvā varṣasahasrāṇi caritvā tapa uttamam | ekapādāḥ sthitāḥ samyak kāṣṭhabhūtāḥ samāhitāḥ |
Bhishma berkata: Setelah menanggung tapa selama ribuan tahun dan menjalankan pertapaan tertinggi, kami berdiri teguh dengan satu kaki—tak bergerak laksana balok kayu, dengan batin sepenuhnya terhimpun. Seusai melaksanakan tapas yang agung itu, kerinduan kami hanya satu: semoga dengan cara apa pun kami memperoleh darśana—penglihatan langsung—atas Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa, Tuhan para dewa yang kekal, pemberi anugerah, dan paling layak dipilih untuk dipuja.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined austerity and unwavering mental concentration as a means of spiritual attainment, presenting devotion (seeking the Lord’s darśana) as the ethical aim that gives tapas its highest purpose.
Bhishma recounts an episode of extreme ascetic practice: for thousands of years they performed severe penance, standing on one foot without movement and with focused minds, motivated by the desire to behold Nārāyaṇa, the supreme boon-giving Lord.