Shloka 61
अध्याय ३५१ — उञ्छवृत्ति-व्रतसिद्धेः मानुषस्य परमगतिः
Sūrya–Nāga Dialogue on the Perfected Gleaner-Ascetic
मया हि सुमहत् तप्तं तप: परमदारुणम् | पुरा मतिमतां श्रेष्ठा: परमेण समाधिना,“बुद्धिमानोंमें श्रेष्ठ शिष्यगण! पूर्वकालमें मैंने उत्तम समाधिके द्वारा अत्यन्त कठोर एवं बड़ी भारी तपस्या की थी
mayā hi sumahat taptaṁ tapaḥ paramadāruṇam | purā matimatāṁ śreṣṭhāḥ parameṇa samādhinā ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Hỡi các đệ tử ưu tú trong hàng người trí! Thuở xưa ta đã thực hành một khổ hạnh lớn lao—cực kỳ nghiêm khắc và vô cùng gian nan—được nâng đỡ bởi định lực tối thượng.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds tapas (disciplined austerity) supported by supreme samādhi (deep concentration) as a means of inner mastery. Ethically, it implies that genuine authority in dharma-discourse is grounded in self-control and sustained spiritual effort rather than mere speech.
Vaiśampāyana addresses a group of intelligent disciples and begins a recollection: he states that in ancient times he performed an immense and very severe austerity through the highest meditative absorption, setting the stage for a subsequent teaching or account arising from that practice.