Shloka 27
Tapas-śreṣṭhatā: Anāśana as the Highest Austerity
Bhagīratha–Brahmā Saṃvāda
दीर्घकालं हिमवति गंगायाश्न दुरुत्सहाम् मूर्थ्ना धारां महादेव: शिरसा यामधारयत् । न तेनाप्यहमागच्छे फलेनेह पितामह
Bhagīratha uvāca—dīrghakālaṁ Himavati Gaṅgāyāś ca durutsahāṁ mūrdhnā dhārāṁ Mahādevaḥ śirasā yām adhārayat | na tenāpy aham āgacche phaleneha Pitāmaha, Pitāmaha! mitāhārī maunaśānta-bhāvena ca Himālaya-parvate sudīrgha-kālaṁ tapasā samācaram; yena prasanno Bhagavān Śaṅkaro Gaṅgāyā duḥsahāṁ dhārāṁ sva-mastake ’dhārayat; parantu tasya tapasyaḥ phalenāpi nāham iha loke siddhim avāptavān iti |
Bhagīratha berkata: “Untuk masa yang amat panjang, di Himālaya, aku menempuh tapa yang keras—membatasi makan, berdiam diri, dan menenangkan batin. Kerana itu Mahādeva berkenan lalu menanggung di atas kepalanya arus Gaṅgā yang tidak tertanggung. Namun, wahai Pitāmaha—wahai Pitāmaha—dengan buah tapa itu sahaja, aku belum mencapai kejayaan yang kuinginkan di dunia ini.”
भगीरथ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even extraordinary austerity and visible divine favor do not automatically guarantee one’s intended worldly outcome; disciplined effort must be joined with humility, right aim, and continued perseverance, recognizing that results depend on a larger moral and divine order.
Bhagīratha recounts to the ‘Grandfather’ (Bhīṣma) that he performed long penance on the Himālaya with moderation, silence, and calmness. Śiva, pleased, bore the fierce torrent of the Gaṅgā on his head; yet Bhagīratha says that even this achievement has not, by itself, brought him the full success he seeks.