Shloka 37
Vidyā–Avidyā and the Twenty-Fifth Principle
Sāṃkhya–Yoga Clarification
क्रियमाणं यदा कर्म नाशं गच्छति मानुषम् । तेषां नान्यदृते लोके तपस: कर्म विद्यते
kriyamāṇaṃ yadā karma nāśaṃ gacchati mānuṣam | teṣāṃ nānyadṛte loke tapasaḥ karma vidyate ||
波罗舍罗说：当人的诸般作为，纵在进行之时，终亦归于消亡，不能结成恒久之果，则有一条结论分外分明：对这等人而言，在此世间，除“苦行/精进”（tapas，塔帕斯）之外，再无真正长存而能净化身心的善业。此意既关乎伦理亦关乎实用——世俗营为脆弱多败，唯有内在的自律与修持，方为可靠的自我提升之道。
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly actions are unstable and can become fruitless; therefore, disciplined austerity (tapas)—self-restraint, inner purification, and sustained spiritual effort—is presented as the most dependable ‘good action’ for those whose ordinary karmas do not endure or do not lead to higher realization.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional discourse, the sage Parāśara is teaching a reflective, renunciatory ethic: he contrasts perishable worldly activity with the lasting value of tapas, guiding the listener toward inner discipline as the secure path when external achievements fail.