Shloka 17

Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma

Devanagari script

भवन्तं चेह सम्प्रेक्ष्य तपो मे परिहीयते । तपोयुक्तं शरीरं च त्वां दृष्टवा धारितं पुन:,“तुमको यहाँ देखकर मेरी तपस्यामें बाधा पड़ रही है। यह शरीर तपस्यामें लगा दिया था, परंतु तुम्हें देखकर फिर इसकी रक्षा करने लगा

Transliteration

bhavantaṃ ceha samprekṣya tapo me parihīyate | tapoyuktaṃ śarīraṃ ca tvāṃ dṛṣṭvā dhāritaṃ punaḥ ||

Translation

నిన్ను ఇక్కడ చూచినప్పుడల్లా నా తపస్సు క్షీణిస్తుంది. ఈ శరీరాన్ని తపస్సుకు అంకితం చేసితిని; కాని నిన్ను చూచిన వెంటనే దానిని మళ్లీ కాపాడి నిలుపుకొనుచున్నాను.

Word by Word

भवन्तम्you (honorific), thee

चand

इहhere

सम्प्रेक्ष्यhaving seen, after looking at

तपःausterity, penance

मेmy

परिहीयतेdiminishes, declines, is impaired

तपःयुक्तम्engaged in austerity, joined with penance

शरीरम्body

चand

त्वाम्you

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

धारितम्held, maintained, supported

पुनःagain

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana (narrator/speaker)

you (addressee, unnamed in this verse)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even sincere ascetic resolve can be weakened by renewed attachment and concern; true tapas requires steadiness of mind and freedom from impulses that pull one back into bodily self-preservation and worldly ties.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator reports a statement addressed to someone whose presence disrupts an ascetic’s discipline: on seeing the person, the speaker feels their austerity decline and, instead of remaining absorbed in tapas, they revert to protecting and sustaining the body.