Shloka 16
Adhyāya 51: Kṛṣṇa’s Leave-Taking and Departure for Dvārakā (द्वारकागमनानुमति)
ओऔषधान्यगदादीनि नानाविद्याशक्ष सर्वश: । तपसैव प्रसिद्धयन्ति तपोमूलं हि साधनम्,आरोग्यकी साधनभूत ओषधियाँ और नाना प्रकारकी विद्याएँ तपसे ही सिद्ध होती हैं। सारे साधनोंकी जड़ तपस्या ही है
oṣadhāny agadādīni nānāvidyāś ca sarvaśaḥ | tapasaiva prasidhyanti tapomūlaṃ hi sādhanam ||
Vāyu-deva said: “Medicinal herbs, antidotes and remedies, and every kind of knowledge attain their recognized efficacy only through tapas (austerity and disciplined effort). For tapas is the root from which all means of accomplishment arise.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
That tapas—disciplined austerity, restraint, and sustained effort—is the foundational cause behind the effectiveness of medicines and the success of all branches of knowledge; it is presented as the root of all sādhanas (means of attainment).
Vāyu-deva is instructing the listener by emphasizing a moral-spiritual principle: worldly instruments like remedies and intellectual skills do not bear fruit merely by possession, but become truly efficacious when grounded in tapas.