Shloka 22
Śulka, Kanyā, and Dauhitra-Riktha: Discourse on Bride-Price and Inheritance Rights (शुल्क-कन्या-दौहित्र-रिक्थविचारः)
एतत् श्र॒ुत्वा तु विपुलो विषण्णवदनो5भवत् | एवं तीव्रतपाश्चाहं कष्टश्षायं परिश्रम:
etat śrutvā tu vipulo viṣaṇṇavadano 'bhavat | evaṁ tīvratapaś cāhaṁ kaṣṭaśṣāyaṁ pariśramaḥ |
Bhīṣma nói: Nghe vậy, Vipula buồn rầu, nét mặt sa sầm. Ông tự nhủ: “Nếu ngay cả ta—kẻ hành khổ hạnh nghiêm khắc—cũng phải gặp kết cục bất hạnh, thì công phu khổ hạnh khắc nghiệt ấy rốt cuộc chỉ thành nỗi đau mà thôi.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Austerity (tapas) by itself is not a guarantee of a good outcome; one must also understand and align with dharma, because the ethical quality and right understanding behind one’s effort determine its true fruit.
After hearing a sobering statement, Vipula becomes visibly distressed and doubts the value of his severe ascetic effort, fearing that even such hardship may still lead to an unfortunate result.