Shloka 41
Sarasvatī–Tārkṣya Saṃvāda: Agnihotra-vidhi, Dāna-phala, and Mokṣa-prasaṅga (सरस्वती–तार्क्ष्यसंवादः)
वैशम्पायन उवाच तथा वदति वार्ष्णेये धर्मराजे च भारत । अथ पश्चात् तपोवृद्धों बहुवर्षमहस्रधूकू
vaiśampāyana uvāca tathā vadati vārṣṇeye dharmarāje ca bhārata | atha paścāt tapovṛddho bahuvarṣasahasradhūkū ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: Habang nagsasalita nang gayon si Vārṣṇeya (Kṛṣṇa), at habang nakikinig si Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira), O Bhārata, pagkaraan ay may lumitaw—isang dakila dahil sa pag-aayuno at pagninilay (tapas), na nagtiis at nagsanay ng tapas sa loob ng maraming libong taon.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical authority of tapas: spiritual discipline and long-term austerity are presented as sources of maturity and credibility, preparing the ground for counsel or a consequential encounter.
It is a transition: as Kṛṣṇa (Vārṣṇeya) speaks and Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja) listens, the narration shifts to what happens next—an ascetic, renowned for immense austerities over thousands of years, comes into the scene (the exact descriptor is unclear due to the transmitted reading).