Shloka 38
त्रिवर्गविचारः
Tri-varga Deliberation: Dharma, Artha, Kāma
पुनश्च परिपप्रच्छ भीष्म धर्मभूतां वरम् । तप: प्रति स चोवाच तस्मै सर्व कुरूद्गबह
punar ca paripapraccha bhīṣmaṃ dharmabhūtāṃ varam | tapaḥ prati sa covāca tasmai sarvaṃ kurūdgvaha kuruśreṣṭha ||
毗舍ṃ波耶那说道：随后，他又向毗湿摩——诸义人之最上者——再度请问苦行（tapas）的本质。于是毗湿摩便开始向他详尽开示——噢，承载俱卢血脉者，噢，俱卢中之最胜者——阐明tapas在法（dharma）之中的原则与旨趣。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames tapas as a dharmic subject worthy of careful inquiry: disciplined self-restraint and spiritual effort are to be understood through authoritative instruction, not mere impulse, and are presented as integral to righteous living and governance.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, the inquirer again asks Bhīṣma—renowned for dharma—specifically about tapas. Bhīṣma then begins a systematic explanation addressed to the Kuru king, continuing the didactic sequence of questions and answers.