Shloka 203
Sārasvata–Dadhīca Upākhyāna at Sarasvatī Tīrtha
Balarāma’s Pilgrimage Context
काष्ठ भूतो55श्रमपदे वसति सम महातपा: । आश्रममें प्रवेश करते ही देवलमुनिने वहाँ बैठे हुए जैगीषव्यको देखा
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: kāṣṭha-bhūto 'śrama-pade vasati sama-mahātapāḥ.
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Sang pertapa agung itu tinggal di tapak pertapaan seolah-olah menjadi kayu—diam tidak bergerak dan menguasai diri sepenuhnya. Ketika Devala memasuki āśrama dan melihat Jaigiṣavya duduk di sana, Jaigiṣavya tidak berbicara dengannya walau sedikit pun, tetap tenggelam dalam mauna (diam suci), duduk kaku seperti kayu.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that true tapas expresses itself as deep restraint—silence, stillness, and equanimity. Ethical strength is shown by mastery over speech and reaction, not by outward display.
Devala enters the hermitage and sees the sage Jaigiṣavya seated there. Jaigiṣavya remains in kāṣṭha-like stillness and does not speak, maintaining a discipline of silence and self-possessed austerity.