Shloka 11
मृत्योर्ब्रह्मणा नियोजनम् — The Commissioning of Mṛtyu by Brahmā
वेदस्योपनिषत् सत्यं सत्यस्योपनिषद् दम: । दमस्योपनिषद् दानं दानस्योपनिषत् तपः,वेदका सार है सत्य वचन, सत्यका सार है इन्द्रियोंका संयम, संयमका सार है दान और दानका सार है तपस्या
vedasyopaniṣat satyaṃ satyasyopaniṣad damaḥ | damasyopaniṣad dānaṃ dānasyopaniṣat tapaḥ ||
Vyāsa bersabda: “Inti batin (Upaniṣad) bagi Veda ialah kebenaran; inti bagi kebenaran ialah pengendalian diri (dama). Inti bagi pengendalian diri ialah pemberian (dāna), dan inti bagi pemberian ialah tapa (tapas)—askese dan usaha rohani yang berdisiplin. Maka ajaran ini bergerak daripada tutur kata yang benar dan integriti, kepada penguasaan indera, kepada kemurahan hati, dan akhirnya kepada latihan rohani yang tertib sebagai sandaran terdalam bagi kehidupan beretika.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a graded ethical hierarchy: truth is the heart of sacred knowledge; truth is sustained by self-restraint; self-restraint expresses itself through generosity; and the deepest foundation of generosity is tapas—disciplined austerity that purifies motives and strengthens virtue.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Vyāsa delivers a concise aphoristic teaching, summarizing how inner virtues support one another and culminate in tapas as the sustaining discipline behind truthful, restrained, and generous living.