Shloka 12

संधेयासंधेय-पुरुषनिर्णयः (Criteria for Allies and Non-Allies) — with the opening of the Gautama narrative

Devanagari script

तप: परायणा: सर्वे सिद्ध्यन्ति तपसा च ते । इत्येवं तपसा देवा महत्त्व प्रतिपेदिरे,ऋषि, पितर, देवता, मनुष्य, पशु-पक्षी तथा दूसरे जो चराचर प्राणी हैं, वे सब तपस्यामें ही तत्पर रहते हैं। तपस्यासे ही उन्हें सिद्धि प्राप्त होती है। इसी प्रकार देवताओंने भी तपस्यासे ही महत्त्वपूर्ण पद प्राप्त किया है

Transliteration

tapaḥ-parāyaṇāḥ sarve siddhyanti tapasā ca te | ityevaṁ tapasā devā mahattvaṁ pratipedire |

Translation

ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—എല്ലാ ജീവികളും തപസ്സിൽ പരായണരാണ്; തപസ്സിലൂടെ തന്നെയാണ് അവർ സിദ്ധിയും വിജയവും നേടുന്നത്. അതുപോലെ ദേവന്മാരും തപസ്സിലൂടെ തന്നെ മഹത്ത്വം പ്രാപിച്ചു.

Word by Word

तपःausterity, penance

परायणाःdevoted, intent upon

सर्वेall

सिद्ध्यन्तिattain success, are accomplished

तपसाby austerity

चand

तेthey

इतिthus

एवम्in this manner

तपसाby austerity

देवाःthe gods

महत्त्वम्greatness, exalted status

प्रतिपेदिरेattained, obtained

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Devas (gods)

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?

Tapas—disciplined austerity and self-restraint—is presented as a universal means of attaining siddhi (accomplishment) and mahattva (greatness). Even the gods are said to have reached eminence through tapas, underscoring its ethical and spiritual power.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva instruction, Bhishma is teaching about dharma and the sources of true excellence. He emphasizes that success and elevated status arise from sustained austerity, using the gods as an authoritative example.