Shloka 20
अग्निवंशवर्णनम् (Agni-vaṃśa-varṇana) / The Genealogy and Function of Agni
एष योगविधि: कृत्स्नो यावदिन्द्रियधारणम् । एतन्मूलं हि तपस: कृत्स्नस्य नरकस्य च
eṣa yogavidhiḥ kṛtsno yāvad indriyadhāraṇam | etanmūlaṃ hi tapasaḥ kṛtsnasya narakasya ca ||
O caçador disse: “Isto, em sua totalidade, é o método do yoga: a contenção e a firme sustentação dos sentidos. Pois esta disciplina é a raiz de toda austeridade; e, quando negligenciada, é também a raiz de toda descida ao inferno.”
व्याध उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the essence of yoga and the foundation of true tapas is indriya-dhāraṇa—firm restraint of the senses. The same domain is ethically decisive: mastery supports spiritual progress, while lack of restraint becomes a root-cause for downfall and suffering (symbolized as naraka).
In the Vana Parva’s dialogue where the vyādha instructs a seeker on dharma and right conduct, he summarizes practical spirituality: yoga is not merely ritual or theory but lived discipline, centered on controlling the senses, which determines whether one’s life tends toward purification or ruin.