Shloka 26
Uttanka’s Inquiry and Vāsudeva’s Adhyātma Exposition
Guṇa–Ritual–Immanence Teaching
कौमारं ब्रह्मचर्य ते जानामि द्विजसत्तम | दुःखार्जितस्य तपसस्तस्मान्नेच्छामि ते व्ययम्
kaumāraṁ brahmacaryaṁ te jānāmi dvijasattama | duḥkhārjitasya tapasas tasmān necchāmi te vyayam ||
வாயு கூறினான்—ஓ இருபிறப்போரில் தலைசிறந்தவனே! உன் சிறுவயதிலிருந்து நீ பேணிய பிரம்மச்சரியத்தை நான் அறிவேன். ஆகவே, துன்பத்தால் ஈட்டிய உன் தவத்திற்கு இழப்பு ஏற்பட நான் விரும்பவில்லை.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Austerity (tapas) and lifelong self-restraint (brahmacarya) are hard-won spiritual capital; even a deity should not casually diminish or waste another’s accumulated merit. The verse highlights ethical restraint and reverence toward disciplined virtue.
Vāyudeva addresses a revered twice-born ascetic, acknowledging his lifelong brahmacarya and the hardship through which his tapas was accumulated, and declares that he does not wish to cause any loss to that ascetic power.