Shloka 3
गान्धारीपुत्रोत्पत्तिः — The Birth of Gāndhārī’s Hundred Sons (and Yuyutsu); Omens and Counsel on Succession
स आश्रमपदद्धारि वृक्षमूले महातपा: । ऊर्ध्वबाहुर्महायोगी तस्थौ मौनव्रतान्वित:
sa āśramapadaddhāri vṛkṣamūle mahātapāḥ | ūrdhvabāhur mahāyogī tasthau maunavratānvitāḥ ||
ആ മഹാതപസ്വി തന്റെ ആശ്രമദ്വാരത്തിൽ ഒരു വൃക്ഷമൂലത്തിൽ, ഇരുകൈകളും മേലോട്ടുയർത്തി, മൗനവ്രതം ധരിച്ചു നിൽക്കെ കഠിനതപസ്സു അനുഷ്ഠിച്ചു; മാണ്ഡവ്യൻ മഹായോഗിയായിരുന്നു।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights tapas and restraint as ethical disciplines: silence (mauna) and bodily endurance (standing with raised arms) symbolize mastery over speech and senses, presenting ascetic self-control as a path to spiritual authority.
Vaiśampāyana describes a great ascetic at his hermitage entrance, standing beneath a tree with arms raised, maintaining a vow of silence while performing intense austerities—setting the scene for the rishi’s spiritual stature and the events connected to him.