Shloka 29
Nakula’s Declaration and the Uñchavṛtti Brāhmaṇa’s Superior Merit (Āśvamedhika Parva, Adhyāya 92)
ततस्ते मुन2यो हृष्टा ददुशुस्तपसो बलम् । विस्मिता वचन प्राहुरिदं सर्वे महार्थवत्
tataste munayo hṛṣṭā dadṛśus tapaso balam | vismitā vacanaṃ prāhur idaṃ sarve mahārthavat ||
แล้วเหล่ามุนีก็ปลาบปลื้มยินดี ได้ประจักษ์แก่ตนถึงพลังที่บังเกิดจากตบะ ครั้นเห็นดังนั้นก็พิศวงยิ่งนัก และพร้อมกันกล่าวถ้อยคำอันเปี่ยมด้วยความหมายลึกซึ้ง
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that tapas (disciplined austerity) is not merely private piety but a force that can become evident to others; when genuine, it inspires joy, reverence, and thoughtful speech, reinforcing the ethical ideal that inner self-mastery yields real strength.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that a group of sages witnesses the manifest potency produced by a great ascetic’s austerities; struck with amazement, they collectively respond by speaking weighty, meaningful words about what they have seen.