Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 763
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
वृद्धगार्ग्यों महातेजास्तानेवं वाक्यमब्रवीत् । पितरोंका यह भाषण सुनकर तपस्याके धनी महातेजस्वी वृद्धगार्ग्यके शरीरमें रोमांच हो आया और उनसे इस प्रकार पूछा--
vṛddhagārgyo mahātejās tān evaṃ vākyam abravīt | pitaroṃ kā yaḥ bhāṣaṇa sunakara tapasyā ke dhanī mahātejasvī vṛddhagārgya ke śarīra meṃ romāñca ho āyā aura unse isa prakāra pūchā—
Si Vṛddha Gārgya, dakilang asetang nagliliwanag sa kapangyarihang espirituwal, ay nagsalita sa kanila ng ganitong mga salita. Nang marinig niya ang pahayag ng mga Pitṛ (mga ninunong ama), ang makapangyarihang Vṛddha Gārgya—mayaman sa pag-aayuno at pagninilay—ay kinilabutan sa banal na paggalang, at saka sila tinanong sa ganitong paraan.
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights reverent receptivity to ancestral wisdom: a disciplined ascetic, upon hearing the Pitṛs, responds with humility and inquiry—implying that dharma is approached through attentive listening, inner transformation, and respectful questioning.
After the Pitṛs speak, the sage Vṛddha Gārgya is moved with spiritual awe (romāñca) and then addresses them, beginning a question that continues in the subsequent lines.