Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 23
नारदस्य वच: श्रुत्वा क्रुद्धः प्राज्वलदड्धिरा: । अपिबत् तेजसा वारि विष्ट भ्य सुमहातपा:
nāradāsya vacaḥ śrutvā kruddhaḥ prājvalad aṅgirāḥ | apibat tejasā vāri viṣṭabhya sumahātapāḥ ||
ਨਾਰਦ ਦੇ ਬਚਨ ਸੁਣ ਕੇ ਅੰਗਿਰਾ ਦਾ ਪੁੱਤਰ ਉਤਥ੍ਯ ਕ੍ਰੋਧ ਨਾਲ ਭੜਕ ਉਠਿਆ। ਉਹ ਮਹਾਤਪਸਵੀ ਆਪਣੇ ਤਪੋਤੇਜ ਨਾਲ ਜਲ ਨੂੰ ਰੋਕ ਕੇ, ਆਪਣੇ ਆਤਮ-ਤੇਜ ਨਾਲ ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਪੀਣ ਲੱਗ ਪਿਆ।
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between spiritual power (tapas/tejas) and self-control: even a great ascetic can be driven by anger to use extraordinary power in a forceful, potentially harmful way, implying that mastery over krodha is integral to dharma.
After hearing Nārada’s statement, Utathya becomes enraged; empowered by his austerities, he restrains the waters and begins to drink them up through his tejas, demonstrating the formidable potency attributed to sages in epic narrative.