Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 31
Tapas-śreṣṭhatā: Anāśana as the Highest Austerity
Bhagīratha–Brahmā Saṃvāda
शतं शतानां गृष्टीनामददं चाप्यतन्द्रित: । इष्टवानेकैर्महायज्ञैब्राह्मणेभ्यो न तेन च
śataṁ śatānāṁ gṛṣṭīnām adadaṁ cāpy atandritaḥ | iṣṭavān ekair mahāyajñair brāhmaṇebhyo na tena ca ||
Wika ni Bhagīratha: “Walang kapaguran, nagkaloob ako ng daan-daang baka na unang beses pa lamang nanganak, at nagsagawa rin ako ng maraming dakilang paghahandog (yajña), na may mga kaloob para sa mga Brahmin. Ngunit hindi sa bisa ng gantimpala ng mga ritwal at pag-aalay na iyon ako naparito sa kalagayang ito.”
भगीरथ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even immense ritual merit—grand sacrifices and lavish gifts—does not automatically explain one’s spiritual attainment or present condition; Bhagīratha emphasizes humility and points beyond mere external acts to a deeper causality (inner purity, divine grace, or a higher dharmic purpose).
Bhagīratha recounts his extraordinary acts of charity and sacrifice—donating vast numbers of first-calved cows and performing great yajñas with gifts to Brahmins—then declares that these merits alone are not the reason he has arrived ‘here’ (i.e., his current state or destination being discussed in the chapter).