Shloka 13

उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel

Devanagari script

अथास्य बुद्धिरभवत्‌ तपस्ये भरतर्षभ । ततोअ<ब्रवीत्‌ कुलपति पादौ संगृह्म भारत,भारत! भरतभूषण! उसके मनमें वहाँ तपस्या करनेका विचार उत्पन्न हुआ; अतः उसने कुलपतिके पैर पकड़कर कहा--

Transliteration

athāsya buddhir abhavat tapasyai bharatarṣabha | tato 'bravīt kulapatiṃ pādau saṃgṛhya bhārata ||

Translation

Bhishma berkata: Kemudian timbul dalam fikirannya, wahai yang utama antara Bharata, hasrat untuk melakukan tapas (pertapaan) di sana. Maka, sambil memegang kaki ketua pertapaan (kulapati), dia pun berkata—

Word by Word

अथthen

अस्यof him / his

बुद्धिःthought, intention

अभवत्arose, became

तपस्येin austerity / for penance

भरतर्षभO bull among the Bharatas

ततःthereupon, then

अब्रवीत्said, spoke

कुलपतिम्the head of the family/clan (householder/elder)

पादौtwo feet

संगृह्यhaving grasped/held

भारतO Bharata

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Bharata lineage (address: Bharatarshabha/Bharata)

Kulapati (hermitage chief)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that true tapas begins with inner resolve (buddhi) and is grounded in humility and proper conduct toward one’s teacher/elder (grasping the kulapati’s feet), presenting ascetic effort as an ethical, disciplined choice.

What is happening in the narrative?

A character (referred to as ‘he’) decides to perform austerities at that place; he approaches the kulapati, respectfully takes hold of his feet, and then speaks—signaling a request for permission, guidance, or blessing before beginning the practice.