Shloka 25
Adhyāya 136: Yavakrī–Bharadvāja Saṃvāda and the Bāladhī–Dhanuṣākṣa Gāthā
Arrogance, Boons, and Nimitta
त॑ तथा तप्यमानं तु तपस्तीव्रं महामुनिम् । उपेत्य बलभिद् देवो वारयामास वै पुन:,महामुनि यवक्रीतको इस प्रकार तपस्या करते देख इन्द्रने उनके पास जाकर पुनः मना किया और कहा--'मुने! तुमने ऐसे कार्यका आरम्भ किया है जिसकी सिद्धि होनी असम्भव है। तुम्हारा यह (द्विजमात्रके लिये बिना पढ़े वेदका ज्ञान होनेका) आयोजन बुद्धि-संगत नहीं है; किंतु केवल तुमको और तुम्हारे पिताको ही वेदोंका ज्ञान होगा”
taṁ tathā tapyamānaṁ tu tapas tīvraṁ mahāmunim | upetya balabhid devo vārayāmāsa vai punaḥ ||
Lomaśa said: Seeing that great sage engaged in such severe austerities, the god Indra—slayer of Bala—approached him and again tried to restrain him. Indra’s intervention frames an ethical warning: spiritual power and sacred knowledge are not to be seized through forceful shortcuts that bypass discipline and rightful transmission; even divine authority steps in to prevent an undertaking judged improper or impossible in its intended form.
लोमश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that intense austerity (tapas) is not automatically righteous; the pursuit of sacred power or knowledge must align with dharma, proper discipline, and legitimate transmission. Even Indra intervenes to restrain an ascetic effort viewed as ethically or practically misguided.
A great sage is performing severe austerities. Indra, identified by the epithet Balabhid, approaches and again attempts to stop him, setting up a dialogue in which Indra warns against the sage’s aim and method.