Shloka 37
Tapas-śreṣṭhatā: Anāśana as the Highest Austerity
Bhagīratha–Brahmā Saṃvāda
दशभिर्विश्वजिद्धिश्न शतैरष्टादशोत्तरै: । न चैव तेषां देवेश फलेनाहमिहागमम्
daśabhir viśvajid-dhiśna śatair aṣṭādaśottaraiḥ | na caiva teṣāṃ deveśa phalenāham ihāgamam, brahman |
भगिरथ म्हणाला—“देवेश्वरा, ब्रह्मन्! मी विश्वजित् यज्ञ दहा वेळा केला आणि त्याहून अधिक एकशे अठरा वेळा पुन्हा केला; तरीही त्या कर्मांच्या फळाने मी येथे आलो नाही. माझे येथे येणे यज्ञपुण्याचे फळ नाही।”
भगीरथ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhagīratha emphasizes that the highest attainment is not merely a transactional result of ritual performance; sacrificial merit (yajña-phala) has limits, and true spiritual standing is not reducible to accumulated rites.
Bhagīratha addresses a divine figure (Deveśa) and a revered authority (Brahman), recounting the vast number of Viśvajit sacrifices he performed, yet declaring that his present arrival/condition is not due to those ritual fruits—framing a discussion on the nature of merit and higher dharma.