Vidyā–Avidyā and the Twenty-Fifth Principle
Sāṃkhya–Yoga Clarification
मर्त्यलोके च राजानो ये चान्ये गृहमेधिन: । महाकुलेषु दृश्यन्ते तत् सर्व तपस: फलम्
martyaloke ca rājāno ye cānye gṛhamedhinaḥ | mahākuleṣu dṛśyante tat sarvaṃ tapasaḥ phalam ||
Parāśara disse: “Também no mundo dos homens, os reis e governantes—e igualmente outros chefes de família—que se veem nascer e firmar-se em linhagens grandes e nobres: tudo isso é fruto da austeridade (tapas).”
पराशर उवाच
High status in society—such as kingship or birth in an eminent lineage—is presented as the karmic fruit of tapas (austerity/discipline), emphasizing moral causality rather than mere chance or pride of birth.
In Śānti Parva, Parāśara is instructing about the results of spiritual discipline, pointing to visible worldly prosperity and noble birth among rulers and householders as outcomes produced by prior austerity.