Shloka 17
Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma
भवन्तं चेह सम्प्रेक्ष्य तपो मे परिहीयते । तपोयुक्तं शरीरं च त्वां दृष्टवा धारितं पुन:,“तुमको यहाँ देखकर मेरी तपस्यामें बाधा पड़ रही है। यह शरीर तपस्यामें लगा दिया था, परंतु तुम्हें देखकर फिर इसकी रक्षा करने लगा
bhavantaṃ ceha samprekṣya tapo me parihīyate | tapoyuktaṃ śarīraṃ ca tvāṃ dṛṣṭvā dhāritaṃ punaḥ ||
汝がここにいるのを見ると、我が苦行は衰える。この身はすでに出家の戒律に委ねたはずなのに、汝を見た途端、再びそれを守り支えようとしてしまう。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even sincere ascetic resolve can be weakened by renewed attachment and concern; true tapas requires steadiness of mind and freedom from impulses that pull one back into bodily self-preservation and worldly ties.
The narrator reports a statement addressed to someone whose presence disrupts an ascetic’s discipline: on seeing the person, the speaker feels their austerity decline and, instead of remaining absorbed in tapas, they revert to protecting and sustaining the body.