Shloka 17
Adhyāya 136: Yavakrī–Bharadvāja Saṃvāda and the Bāladhī–Dhanuṣākṣa Gāthā
Arrogance, Boons, and Nimitta
स समिद्धे महत्यग्नौ शरीरमुपतापयन् । जनयामास संतापमिन्द्रस्य सुमहातपा:
sa samiddhe mahātyagnau śarīram upatāpayan | janayāmāsa santāpam indrasya sumahātapāḥ ||
त्या परम महातपस्व्याने प्रज्वलित महान् अग्नीत आपले शरीर तापवीत इंद्राच्या अंतःकरणात तीव्र संताप उत्पन्न केला.
लोमश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the extraordinary potency of tapas (austerity): disciplined self-suffering and restraint can generate spiritual power that obliges even divine authorities like Indra to respond. Ethically, it points to the seriousness of intention and self-control—power is not only political or martial, but also moral and ascetic.
Lomaśa describes a great ascetic performing a severe penance by heating his body in a blazing fire. The intensity of this tapas produces ‘santāpa’—disturbance and anxiety—in Indra, signaling that the ascetic’s growing power has cosmic repercussions and draws the attention of the gods.