Shloka 84
देवतापितृप्रश्नः — Nārada at Badarīāśrama: the ultimate referent of daiva and pitṛ worship
जो लोग तपोवनोंमें पैदा हुए और वहीं मृत्युको प्राप्त हो गये, उन्हें थोड़े-से ही धर्मकी प्राप्ति होती है; क्योंकि वे काम-भोगोंको जानते ही नहीं थे (अतः उन्हें त्यागनेके लिये उनको कष्ट सहन नहीं करना पड़ता) ।।
vyāsa uvāca | ye lokāḥ tapovaneṣu jāyante tatraiva ca mṛtyuṃ prāpnuvanti, teṣāṃ alpaiva dharmaprāptiḥ; yataḥ te kāma-bhogān na jānanti (ataḥ tyāgāya teṣāṃ duḥkha-sahanaṃ na bhavati) || yas tu bhogān parityajya tapovanaṃ gatvā śarīreṇa tapaś caret | na tena kiñcin na prāptaṃ; tan me bahu mataṃ phalam ||
व्यास उवाच—ये तपोवनेषु जाताः तत्रैव च मृत्युमुपगताः, ते अल्पमेव धर्मफलम् आप्नुवन्ति; यतः ते कामभोगान् न कदाचिद् अवगच्छन्ति, तस्मात् तेषां परित्यागे नास्ति यथार्थोऽन्तःसंघर्षः। यस्तु भोगान् ज्ञात्वा तान् परित्यज्य वनं गत्वा शरीरेण तपश्चरति, तस्य न किञ्चिद् अप्राप्यम्; तदेव मम मते महत्तरं फलम्।
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Renunciation has deeper spiritual value when it is chosen after knowing worldly pleasures; giving up what one has actually experienced and desired requires genuine inner conquest, and thus yields a greater ‘fruit’ than austerity performed without ever facing temptation.
In the didactic discourse of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa contrasts two kinds of ascetic life: those who grow up in hermitages without exposure to pleasures, and those who first encounter enjoyments and then consciously renounce them to practice tapas. He declares the latter path more spiritually potent.