Shloka 46
पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation
सो<ब्रवीद् भृशसंतप्तो दु:खेनाश्रूणि वर्तयन् । श्रुतधैर्यप्रसादेन पश्चात्तापमुपागत:,महाज्ञानी तपोनिष्ठ मेधातिथि गौतम उस समय पत्नीके वधके अनौचित्यपर विचार करके अधिक संतप्त हो गये। वे दुःखसे आँसू बहाते हुए वेदाध्ययन और धैर्यके प्रभावसे किसी तरह अपनेको सँभाले रहे और पश्चात्ताप करते हुए मन-ही-मन इस प्रकार कहने लगे --
so 'bravīd bhṛśa-saṃtapto duḥkhena aśrūṇi vartayan | śruta-dhairya-prasādena paścāt-tāpam upāgataḥ ||
وہ سخت رنج و الم میں ڈوبا ہوا، غم کے آنسو بہاتے ہوئے بول اٹھا۔ مگر مقدس علم اور ضبطِ نفس سے پیدا ہونے والی تسکین کے سہارے وہ ندامت میں ڈھل گیا اور اندر ہی اندر کہنے لگا۔
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when one is overwhelmed by grief, the stabilizing power of śruta (sacred learning) and dhairya (steadfast self-control) enables moral reflection; recognizing an act as improper leads to paścāt-tāpa (remorse), which is the first step toward ethical correction and atonement.
Medhātithi Gautama, having reflected on the wrongness of his wife’s killing, becomes intensely distressed. He weeps, yet restrains himself through the composure gained from Vedic study and fortitude, and then begins to speak inwardly in repentance.