Shloka 203

Sārasvata–Dadhīca Upākhyāna at Sarasvatī Tīrtha

Balarāma’s Pilgrimage Context

Devanagari script

काष्ठ भूतो55श्रमपदे वसति सम महातपा: । आश्रममें प्रवेश करते ही देवलमुनिने वहाँ बैठे हुए जैगीषव्यको देखा, परंतु जैगीषव्यने उस समय भी किसी तरह उनसे बात नहीं की। वे महातपस्वी मुनि आश्रमपर काष्ठमौन होकर बैठे हुए थे

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: kāṣṭha-bhūto 'śrama-pade vasati sama-mahātapāḥ.

Translation

ໄວສັມປາຍະນະ ກ່າວວ່າ: ມະຫາຕະປະສະວີນັ້ນ ພຳນັກຢູ່ໃນບ່ອນອາສຣົມ ດັ່ງກັບກາຍເປັນໄມ້—ນິ່ງສະຫງົບ ແລະຄວບຄຸມຕົນເອງຢ່າງເຂັ້ມງວດ. ເມື່ອເທວະລະເຂົ້າອາສຣົມ ກໍເຫັນ ໄຈກີສະວະຍະ ນັ່ງຢູ່ທີ່ນັ້ນ; ແຕ່ໄຈກີສະວະຍະ ກໍບໍ່ໄດ້ເວົ້າຈາກັບທ່ານແມ່ນແຕ່ນ້ອຍ ໃນເວລານັ້ນ, ຍັງຄົງນັ່ງຢູ່ໃນມະອຸນະ (mauna) ດັ່ງໄມ້.

Word by Word

काष्ठभूतःbecome like a log (motionless/silent)

आश्रमपदेin the place of the hermitage

वसतिdwells/lives

सःhe

महातपाःa great ascetic

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Devala

Jaigiṣavya

āśrama (hermitage)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores that true tapas expresses itself as deep restraint—silence, stillness, and equanimity. Ethical strength is shown by mastery over speech and reaction, not by outward display.

What is happening in the narrative?

Devala enters the hermitage and sees the sage Jaigiṣavya seated there. Jaigiṣavya remains in kāṣṭha-like stillness and does not speak, maintaining a discipline of silence and self-possessed austerity.