Shloka 53

पञ्चवर्णोत्पत्तिः — The Origin of the Five-Colored Fiery Being and Ritual-Disruptor Lineages

Devanagari script

तपो नि:श्रेयसं जन्तोस्तस्य मूलं शमो दम:

Transliteration

tapo niḥśreyasaṃ jantostasya mūlaṃ śamo damaḥ

Translation

வேடன் கூறினான்—தவம் உயிர்க்கு உச்ச நன்மையை அளிக்கும்; அந்தத் தவத்தின் வேர் சமம் (மனக் கட்டுப்பாடு) மற்றும் தமம் (இந்திரிய அடக்கம்) ஆகும்।

Word by Word

तपःausterity, penance

नि:श्रेयसम्highest good, final beatitude

जन्तोःof a creature / of a person

तस्यof that (of it/that one)

मूलम्root, basis

शमःtranquility, mental restraint

दमःself-control, sense-restraint

Speaker

व्याध उवाच

Characters & Entities

व

व्याध (the hunter)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True austerity that leads to the highest good is not merely external hardship; it is grounded in śama (inner calm) and dama (restraint of the senses). Without these, tapas lacks its ethical and spiritual foundation.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Vana Parva’s dharma-instruction context, the hunter (vyādha) delivers a moral teaching: he defines the basis of meaningful tapas and points the listener toward inner discipline as the essential means to ultimate welfare.