Shloka 20

Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma

Devanagari script

प्रयोजन च निर्वत्तं जीवितस्य ममानघ । उग्र॑ तप: समास्थास्ये त्वमनुज्ञातुमहसि,“तुम्हारे समागम और व्यासजीके तपोबलसे मुझे अपने परलोकवासी पुत्र दुर्योधन आदिके दर्शन हो गये; इसलिये मेरे जीवित रहनेका प्रयोजन पूरा हो गया। अनघ! अब मैं कठोर तपस्यामें संलग्न होऊँगा। तुम इसके लिये मुझे अनुमति दे दो

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: prayojanaṃ ca nirvṛttaṃ jīvitasya mamānagha | ugraṃ tapaḥ samāsthāsye tvam anu jñātum arhasi ||

Translation

അനഘാ! എന്റെ ജീവിച്ചിരിപ്പിന്റെ പ്രയോജനം പൂർത്തിയായി. ഇനി ഞാൻ ഉഗ്രമായ തപസ്സിൽ പ്രവേശിക്കും; അതിന് നീ എനിക്ക് അനുമതി നൽകണം.

Word by Word

• {'prayojanam': 'purpose, aim, intended end', 'ca': 'and', 'nirvṛttam': 'accomplished, completed, brought to fulfillment', 'jīvitasya': 'of life, of living', 'mama': 'my', 'anagha': 'O sinless/blameless one (vocative address)', 'ugram': 'fierce, severe, intense', 'tapaḥ': 'austerity, ascetic practice, spiritual heat/discipline', 'samāsthāsye': 'I shall undertake

• I will enter upon (future sense)', 'tvam': 'you', 'anujñātum': 'to permit, to give leave/consent', 'arhasi': 'you ought to

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Duryodhana
• Vyāsa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When worldly aims are exhausted and emotional closure is attained, one may turn toward disciplined renunciation (tapas). The verse frames austerity not as escapism but as a dharmic next step after fulfilling one’s remaining obligations and resolving grief.

What is happening in the narrative?

After being granted a vision of his departed sons (Duryodhana and others) through Vyāsa’s ascetic power, the speaker declares that his reason for continuing to live is fulfilled and asks for permission to withdraw into severe austerities.