Shloka 22
Yoga-kṛtya (योककृत्य) — Vyāsa on Sense-Restraint, Obstacles, and Brahman-Realization
तपो निः:श्रेयसं जन्तोस्तस्य मूलं शमो दम: । तेन सर्वानिवाप्नोति यान् कामान् मनसेच्छति
tapo niḥśreyasaṃ jantostasya mūlaṃ śamo damaḥ | tena sarvān ivāpnoti yān kāmān manasecchati ||
ಜೀವಿಗೆ ಪರಮ ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸಿನ ಸಾಧನ ತಪಸ್ಸೇ; ಆ ತಪಸ್ಸಿನ ಮೂಲ ಶಮ ಮತ್ತು ದಮ. ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಿಂದ ಯಾವ ಯಾವ ಆಶಯಗಳನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯಲು ಮನುಷ್ಯನು ಬಯಸುತ್ತಾನೋ, ತಪಸ್ಸಿನಿಂದ ಅವನ್ನೆಲ್ಲ ಅವನು ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತಾನೆ.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Tapas (disciplined austerity) leads toward the highest good (niḥśreyasa), but it must be rooted in śama (inner calm) and dama (sense-restraint). When mind and senses are governed, one gains the capacity to realize one’s chosen aims in a dharmic way.
In the instruction-heavy Shānti Parva, Vyāsa states a general ethical-spiritual principle: true austerity is not mere hardship but disciplined living founded on mental tranquility and self-control, which empowers a person to attain desired goals and ultimately supports the pursuit of the highest welfare.