Mahabharata — Adi Parva, Shloka 3
गान्धारीपुत्रोत्पत्तिः — The Birth of Gāndhārī’s Hundred Sons (and Yuyutsu); Omens and Counsel on Succession
स आश्रमपदद्धारि वृक्षमूले महातपा: । ऊर्ध्वबाहुर्महायोगी तस्थौ मौनव्रतान्वित:
sa āśramapadaddhāri vṛkṣamūle mahātapāḥ | ūrdhvabāhur mahāyogī tasthau maunavratānvitāḥ ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: Sa may pasukan ng kaniyang āśrama, sa ilalim ng ugat ng isang puno, ang dakilang asceta—isang bantog na yogin—ay nakatayo na nakataas ang dalawang bisig, tumutupad sa panatang katahimikan, at nagsasagawa ng mahigpit na pagdurusa at pagninilay.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights tapas and restraint as ethical disciplines: silence (mauna) and bodily endurance (standing with raised arms) symbolize mastery over speech and senses, presenting ascetic self-control as a path to spiritual authority.
Vaiśampāyana describes a great ascetic at his hermitage entrance, standing beneath a tree with arms raised, maintaining a vow of silence while performing intense austerities—setting the scene for the rishi’s spiritual stature and the events connected to him.