Shloka 17
जपयोगयोः तुल्यफलनिर्णयः
Adhyāya 193: Adjudication of the Comparable Fruits of Japa and Yoga
सोपध॑ निकृतिः स्तेयं परीवादो हासूयिता । परोपघातो हिंसा च पैशुन्यमनृतं तथा
bharadvāja uvāca | sopadhaḥ nikṛtiḥ steyaṁ parīvādo hāsūyitā | paropaghāto hiṁsā ca paiśunyam anṛtaṁ tathā ||
欺きの振る舞い、奸計、盗み、誹謗、そして悪意ある他人の欠点探し。さらに他者への加害、暴力、告げ口、虚言——これらの悪徳に耽る者は、タパス（苦行・修行の力）が衰える。だが、これらの過失を決して自らの行いに入れぬ賢者のタパスは、絶えず増大してゆく。
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
Austerity (tapas) is not merely ritual effort; it is sustained by ethical purity. Deceit, theft, slander, spite, harming others, violence, gossip, and lying erode spiritual power, while consistent avoidance of these faults makes tapas grow.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and conduct, the sage Bharadvāja enumerates specific moral faults and explains their direct consequence: they diminish one’s tapas, whereas the wise who refrain from them continually strengthen their austerity.