Shloka 17
Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma
भवन्तं चेह सम्प्रेक्ष्य तपो मे परिहीयते । तपोयुक्तं शरीरं च त्वां दृष्टवा धारितं पुन:
bhavantaṃ ceha samprekṣya tapo me parihīyate | tapoyuktaṃ śarīraṃ ca tvāṃ dṛṣṭvā dhāritaṃ punaḥ ||
ਤੈਨੂੰ ਇੱਥੇ ਵੇਖ ਕੇ ਮੇਰੀ ਤਪੱਸਿਆ ਘਟਦੀ ਹੈ। ਇਹ ਦੇਹ ਤਪ ਦੇ ਅਨੁਸ਼ਾਸਨ ਲਈ ਸਮਰਪਿਤ ਸੀ; ਪਰ ਤੈਨੂੰ ਵੇਖਦਿਆਂ ਹੀ ਮੈਂ ਇਸ ਨੂੰ ਫਿਰ ਸੰਭਾਲ ਕੇ ਰੱਖਣ ਲੱਗ ਪੈਂਦਾ ਹਾਂ।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even sincere ascetic resolve can be weakened by renewed attachment and concern; true tapas requires steadiness of mind and freedom from impulses that pull one back into bodily self-preservation and worldly ties.
The narrator reports a statement addressed to someone whose presence disrupts an ascetic’s discipline: on seeing the person, the speaker feels their austerity decline and, instead of remaining absorbed in tapas, they revert to protecting and sustaining the body.