Shloka 114
अध्याय १४८ — कर्णप्रभावः, धृष्टद्युम्नस्य विरथता, तथा घटोत्कच-आह्वानम्
Chapter 148: Karṇa’s Pressure, Dhṛṣṭadyumna Unhorsed, and the Summoning of Ghaṭotkaca
सो<यं तप्यति तेजस्वी तपो घोरं दुरासदम् | समनन्तपजञ्चकादस्माद् बहिर्वानरकेतन,“कपिध्वज अर्जुन! वे तेजस्वी राजा वृद्धक्षत्र इस समय इस समन्तपंचक-द्षेत्रसे बाहर घोर एवं दुर्धर्ष तपस्या कर रहे हैं
so ’yaṁ tapyati tejasvī tapo ghoraṁ durāsadam | samantapañcakād asmād bahir vānaraketana ||
Sañjaya said: “That illustrious and radiant king is now performing a severe austerity—hard to approach and difficult to withstand—outside this Samantapañcaka region, O Arjuna whose banner bears the monkey.” The line underscores how, even amid the moral chaos of war, a ruler may seek inner purification and spiritual power through rigorous tapas, placing self-discipline and restraint alongside martial duty.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights tapas (austerity) as a force of moral and spiritual discipline: even in a world dominated by warfare, inner restraint and self-purification remain potent and ethically significant, especially for rulers whose actions affect many.
Sañjaya reports that a certain radiant king is engaged in intense, formidable penance outside the region of Samantapañcaka, addressing Arjuna by his epithet “Vānaraketana/Kapidhvaja,” thereby situating the report within the epic’s war-time narration.