Shloka 3
श्रीशक्रसंवादः — The Dialogue of Śrī
Lakṣmī) and Śakra (Indra
युधिछिर उवाच यदिदं तप इत्याहुरुपवासं पृथग्जना: । एतत् तपो महाराज उताहो कि तपो भवेत्
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: yad idaṃ tapa ity āhur upavāsaṃ pṛthag-janāḥ | etat tapo mahārāja utāho kiṃ tapo bhavet ||
யுதிஷ்டிரன் கூறினான்—மகாராஜா! பொதுமக்கள் உபவாசத்தையே ‘தபஸ்’ என்று சொல்கிறார்கள். மகாராஜா, உபவாசமே உண்மையான தபஸா? அல்லது தபஸ் வேறொன்றா? வேறொன்றெனில், அந்தத் தபஸின் உண்மை வடிவம் என்ன?
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry: austerity (tapas) should not be reduced to a single external act like fasting. Yudhiṣṭhira asks for the deeper definition—implying that true tapas involves disciplined restraint, ethical conduct, and inner transformation rather than mere bodily deprivation.
In the instruction-filled Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira questions a senior authority addressed as ‘Mahārāja’ about the real nature of tapas. He notes that common people equate tapas with fasting and requests clarification on whether that is correct or whether a broader, truer form of austerity is intended.