Shloka 18
उन महातपस्वीने अत्यन्त प्रज्ज्वलित अग्निमें अपने शरीरको तपाते हुए इन्द्रके मनमें संताप उत्पन्न कर दिया ।। तत इन्द्रो यवक्रीतमुपगम्य युधिष्िर । अब्रवीत् कस्य हेतोस्त्वमास्थितस्तप उत्तमम्,युधिष्ठिर! तब इन्द्र यवक्रीतके पास आकर बोले--“तुम किसलिये यह उच्चकोटिकी तपस्या कर रहे हो?”
sa mahātapasvī atyanta-prajvalite 'gnau sva-śarīraṁ tāpayann indrasya manasi santāpaṁ janayām āsa. tata indro yavakrītam upagamya yudhiṣṭhira abravīt—kasya hetos tvaṁ āsthitas tapa uttamam? yudhiṣṭhira, tadā indro yavakrītasya samīpam āgatya uvāca—“tvaṁ kasmād etāṁ śreṣṭhāṁ tapasāṁ carasi?”
Sang pertapa agung itu, dengan menapaskan tubuhnya dalam api yang amat menyala, membangkitkan kegelisahan di benak Indra. Lalu Indra mendekati Yavakrīta dan berkata, “Wahai Yudhiṣṭhira, demi alasan apakah engkau menempuh tapa yang tertinggi ini?”
लोमश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that austerity (tapas) is ethically evaluated by its intention: even powerful ascetic practices draw divine attention, and the gods question the purpose behind such effort, implying that spiritual power should be guided by dharma rather than ego, rivalry, or harmful aims.
Yavakrīta performs extreme penance by heating himself in a blazing fire. This alarms Indra, who then approaches and asks why Yavakrīta has undertaken such supreme austerity, while Lomaśa narrates this episode to Yudhiṣṭhira.