Shloka 12
अश्वशिरो-आख्यानम्
Aśvaśiras / Hayaśiras Narrative: Retrieval of the Vedas
तपसा तेजसा चैव दुर्निरीक्ष्यौ सुरैरपि । यस्य प्रसाद कुर्वाते स देवौ द्रष्टमहति
tapasā tejasā caiva durnirīkṣyau surair api | yasya prasādaṃ kurvāte sa devau draṣṭum arhati ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “Dahil sa kanilang tapas at sa ningning ng espiritu, ang dalawang iyon ay naging di-matitigan maging ng mga diyos. Tanging yaong binibigyan nila ng pabor ang karapat-dapat na makakita sa dalawang Panginoong banal.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Spiritual vision is not merely a matter of effort or status: intense austerity generates such tejas that even gods cannot easily behold it, and true access (darśana) depends on prasāda—divine favor—granted to the worthy.
Bhishma describes two divine beings whose prolonged tapas has made their radiance unbearable to look at; consequently, only those whom they choose to favor can obtain their darśana.