Shloka 12
संधेयासंधेय-पुरुषनिर्णयः (Criteria for Allies and Non-Allies) — with the opening of the Gautama narrative
तप: परायणा: सर्वे सिद्ध्यन्ति तपसा च ते । इत्येवं तपसा देवा महत्त्व प्रतिपेदिरे
tapaḥ-parāyaṇāḥ sarve siddhyanti tapasā ca te | ityevaṁ tapasā devā mahattvaṁ pratipedire |
Wika ni Bhīṣma: Ang lahat ng nilalang ay nakasandig sa tapas; sa pamamagitan ng tapas natatamo nila ang kaganapan at tagumpay. Sa gayon ding paraan, maging ang mga diyos ay nakamit ang kanilang dakilang karangalan sa pamamagitan ng tapas—patunay na ang disiplinadong pagpipigil-sa-sarili ay pangkalahatang daan tungo sa pag-angat na espirituwal at moral.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Tapas—disciplined austerity and self-restraint—is presented as a universal means of attaining siddhi (accomplishment) and mahattva (greatness). Even the gods are said to have reached eminence through tapas, underscoring its ethical and spiritual power.
In the Shanti Parva instruction, Bhishma is teaching about dharma and the sources of true excellence. He emphasizes that success and elevated status arise from sustained austerity, using the gods as an authoritative example.