Shloka 14
Gautama–Yama Saṃvāda: Mātṛ-Pitṛ-Ṛṇa (Debt to Parents) and Śubha-Loka Attainment
आशायास्तपसि श्रेष्ठास्तथा नानतमहं गत: । भवतां विदितं सर्व सर्वज्ञा हि तपोधना:
Bhīṣma uvāca: āśāyās tapasi śreṣṭhās tathā nāntam ahaṃ gataḥ | bhavatāṃ viditaṃ sarvaṃ sarvajñā hi tapodhanāḥ ||
Bhishma disse: “Ó melhor entre os ascetas, não alcancei o fim da esperança; seu limite me escapa. Tu, porém, sabes tudo—pois se diz que os ricos em austeridade são oniscientes.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Hope/desire (āśā) can be effectively limitless; even one engaged in discipline may not find its end. Recognizing this helps cultivate detachment and steadiness, while true sages—grounded in tapas and insight—understand its nature and how it binds.
Bhishma addresses a group of ascetic sages, acknowledging their spiritual authority and insight. He confesses that he has not been able to discover the ‘end’ of āśā, and he defers to the sages as knowers of all due to their ascetic attainment.