Shloka 11
मृत्योर्ब्रह्मणा नियोजनम् — The Commissioning of Mṛtyu by Brahmā
वेदस्योपनिषत् सत्यं सत्यस्योपनिषद् दम: । दमस्योपनिषद् दानं दानस्योपनिषत् तपः,वेदका सार है सत्य वचन, सत्यका सार है इन्द्रियोंका संयम, संयमका सार है दान और दानका सार है तपस्या
vedasyopaniṣat satyaṃ satyasyopaniṣad damaḥ | damasyopaniṣad dānaṃ dānasyopaniṣat tapaḥ ||
Wika ni Vyāsa: “Ang panloob na diwa (upaniṣad) ng Veda ay katotohanan; ang diwa ng katotohanan ay pagpipigil-sa-sarili (dama). Ang diwa ng pagpipigil-sa-sarili ay pagbibigay (dāna), at ang diwa ng pagbibigay ay tapas—mahigpit na pagsasanay at disiplinadong pagsisikap na espirituwal. Kaya ang aral ay umaakyat mula sa wastong pananalita at katapatan, tungo sa pagkapanginoon sa mga pandama, tungo sa pagkakawanggawa, at sa huli sa masinop na pagsasanay-espirituwal bilang pinakamalalim na sandigan ng buhay na may dangal.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a graded ethical hierarchy: truth is the heart of sacred knowledge; truth is sustained by self-restraint; self-restraint expresses itself through generosity; and the deepest foundation of generosity is tapas—disciplined austerity that purifies motives and strengthens virtue.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Vyāsa delivers a concise aphoristic teaching, summarizing how inner virtues support one another and culminate in tapas as the sustaining discipline behind truthful, restrained, and generous living.