Shloka 38
Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma
प्रतियातु भवान् क्षिप्रं तपस्तप्स्याम्यहं विभो । इहैव शोषयिष्यामि तपसेदं कलेवरम्
pratiyātu bhavān kṣipraṃ tapastapsyāmyahaṃ vibho | ihaiva śoṣayiṣyāmi tapasedaṃ kalevaram |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Berangkatlah segera, wahai yang perkasa. Aku akan menjalani tapa (tapas). Di sini juga aku akan melayukan jasad ini dengan kekuatan tapa.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes renunciation and steadfast commitment to tapas: the speaker chooses disciplined austerity and acceptance of bodily decline as a dharmic path, prioritizing spiritual resolve over worldly attachment.
A respectful address is made to a powerful person to depart quickly, while the speaker declares an immediate intention to remain where he is and undertake austerities, even to the point of drying up the body through ascetic practice.