Shloka 56
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
रश्मिभिस्तापितो<र्कस्य सर्वपापमपोहति । ग्रीष्मकाले5थ वा शीते एवं पापमपोहति
śakra uvāca | raśmibhis tāpito 'rkasya sarvapāpam apohati | grīṣmakāle 'tha vā śīte evaṃ pāpam apohati |
Śakra bersabda: “Sesiapa yang dihangatkan oleh sinar Matahari menyingkirkan segala dosa. Sama ada pada panas musim kemarau atau pada musim dingin, dipanaskan oleh sinar Matahari menghapus dosa demikian. Maka manusia menjadi bebas daripada kesalahan; dan setelah bebas daripada dosa, dia memperoleh seri yang berkekalan—bercahaya dengan sinar dirinya seperti Matahari dan terang laksana Bulan.”
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Contact with the Sun’s rays—enduring heat or cold with steadiness—functions as a purificatory discipline: it is said to destroy sin and yield lasting inner radiance (kānti/tejas). The ethical emphasis is on purification and transformation through disciplined endurance aligned with cosmic forces.
Indra (Śakra) is speaking as an instructor, describing a specific means of expiation/purification: being warmed by the Sun’s rays in different seasons. He links this practice to the removal of pāpa (sin) and the attainment of a luminous, exalted state.