Shloka 28
नियोगप्रसङ्गः — The Niyoga Episode: Births of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Pāṇḍu, and Vidura
ऋषेस्तस्य तपस्तीव्रं न शशाक निरीक्षितुम् ह्ृता गौ: सा सदा तेन प्रपातस्तु न तर्कित:
ṛṣes tasya tapas tīvraṃ na śaśāka nirīkṣitum | hṛtā gauḥ sā sadā tena prapātas tu na tarkitaḥ ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。彼らはその聖仙の烈しい苦行の恐るべき威力を見抜くことができなかった。かくして、彼にとって常にかけがえのない牝牛を奪い去りながらも、その行いが自らの没落を招くとは思い至らなかったのである。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Intense tapas is a moral and spiritual force that safeguards dharma; ignoring it and committing wrongful appropriation leads to inevitable consequences. The verse highlights how attachment and the urge to please can cloud judgment and make one overlook the ethical weight of an action.
In the context of the surrounding episode, a revered sage’s beloved cow is taken away. The perpetrators fail to recognize the sage’s ascetic power and do not anticipate that this wrongdoing will cause their downfall.