Bhishma on Austerity

Verse 1 (12.159.1)

सर्वमेतत्तपोमूलं कवयः परिचक्षते । न ह्यतप्ततपा मूढः क्रियाफलमवाप्नुते ॥

sarvametattapomūlaṃ kavayaḥ paricakṣate | na hyataptatapā mūḍhaḥ kriyāphalamavāpnute

The wise declare that all this has austerity as its root; for the fool who has not practised austerity does not obtain the fruit of his rites.

Verse 2 (12.159.2)

प्रजापतिरिदं सर्वं तपसैवासृजत्प्रभुः । तथैव वेदानृषयस्तपसा प्रतिपेदिरे ॥

prajāpatiridaṃ sarvaṃ tapasaivāsṛjatprabhuḥ | tathaiva vedānṛṣayastapasā pratipedire

The lord Prajapati created all this by austerity alone; in the same way the seers obtained the Vedas through austerity.

Verse 3 (12.159.3)

तपसैव ससर्जान्नं फलमूलानि यानि च । त्रीँल्लोकांस्तपसा सिद्धाः पश्यन्ति सुसमाहिताः ॥

tapasaiva sasarjānnaṃ phalamūlāni yāni ca | trīm̐llokāṃstapasā siddhāḥ paśyanti susamāhitāḥ

By austerity alone he created food and whatever fruits and roots there are; by austerity the perfected, deeply concentrated, behold the three worlds.

Note on the text: Split from the input's merged verse (input verse 3, wikisource_number 4), which joins two page verses; this is the first, which the page prints without a number between 12-159-2 and 12-159-4, so 3 is supplied. Line 2 = CE 12.155.3c; line 1 (तपसैव ससर्जान्नं फलमूलानि यानि च) is not in the CE, which reads tapaso hy ānupūrvyeṇa phalamūlānilāśanāḥ as 3a (the page's own footnote gives that as a द. ध. reading).

Verse 4 (12.159.4)

औषधान्यगदादीनि तिस्त्रो विद्याश्च संस्कृताः । तपसैव हि सिद्ध्यन्ति तपोमूलं हि साधनम् ॥

auṣadhānyagadādīni tistro vidyāśca saṃskṛtāḥ | tapasaiva hi siddhyanti tapomūlaṃ hi sādhanam

Medicines and cures and the like, and the three sciences when duly cultivated, all succeed by austerity alone; austerity is the root, for it is the means.

Note on the text: Split from the input's merged verse (input verse 3, wikisource_number 4); this is the second of the two page verses, labelled 12-159-4 on the page. = CE 12.155.4 (spelling differences only: तिस्त्रो, सिद्ध्यन्ति).

Verse 5 (12.159.5)

यद्दुरापं दुराराध्यं दुराधर्षं दुरुत्सहम् । तत्सर्वं तपसा शक्यं तपो हि दुरतिक्रमम् । ऐश्वर्यमृषयः प्राप्तास्तपसैव न संशयः ॥

yaddurāpaṃ durārādhyaṃ durādharṣaṃ durutsaham | tatsarvaṃ tapasā śakyaṃ tapo hi duratikramam | aiśvaryamṛṣayaḥ prāptāstapasaiva na saṃśayaḥ

Whatever is hard to reach, hard to serve, hard to assail, hard to bear, all that can be won by austerity, for austerity cannot be overcome. By austerity alone the seers attained lordship; of this there is no doubt.

Note on the text: Three-line verse, as on the page (12-159-5): lines 1-2 = CE 12.155.5 (दुराराध्यं against CE durāmnāyaṃ, a variant); line 3 (ऐश्वर्यमृषयः प्राप्तास्तपसैव न संशयः) is not in the critical edition (vulgate only).

Verse 6 (12.159.6)

सुरापोऽसंमतादायी भ्रूणहा गुरुतल्पगः । तपसैव सुतप्तेन नरः पापात्प्रमुच्यते ॥

surāpo'saṃmatādāyī bhrūṇahā gurutalpagaḥ | tapasaiva sutaptena naraḥ pāpātpramucyate

The drinker of liquor, the one who takes what is not permitted, the killer of an embryo, the violator of his teacher's bed: such a man is freed from sin by austerity well practised.

Verse 7 (12.159.7)

तपसो बहुरूपस्य तैस्तैर्द्वारैः प्रवर्ततः । निवृत्त्या वर्तमानस्य तपो नानशनात्परम् ॥

tapaso bahurūpasya taistairdvāraiḥ pravartataḥ | nivṛttyā vartamānasya tapo nānaśanātparam

Austerity has many forms and goes forward through this door and that; but for one who lives by withdrawal there is no austerity higher than fasting.

Verse 8 (12.159.8)

अहिंसा सत्यवचनं दानमिन्द्रियनिग्रहः । एतेभ्यो हि महाराज तपो नानशनात्परम् ॥

ahiṃsā satyavacanaṃ dānamindriyanigrahaḥ | etebhyo hi mahārāja tapo nānaśanātparam

Non-violence, truthful speech, giving, restraint of the senses: higher even than these, O great king, is fasting as an austerity.

Verse 9 (12.159.9)

न दुष्करतरं दानान्नाति मातरमाश्रमः । त्रैविद्येभ्यः परं नास्ति संन्यासान्नापरं तपः ॥

na duṣkarataraṃ dānānnāti mātaramāśramaḥ | traividyebhyaḥ paraṃ nāsti saṃnyāsānnāparaṃ tapaḥ

Nothing is harder to do than giving; no stage of life stands above the mother; nothing is higher than those learned in the three Vedas, and no austerity is higher than renunciation.

Verse 10 (12.159.10)

इन्द्रियाणीह रक्षन्ति विप्रर्षिपितृदेवताः । तस्मादर्थे च धर्मे च तपो नानशनात्परम् ॥

indriyāṇīha rakṣanti viprarṣipitṛdevatāḥ | tasmādarthe ca dharme ca tapo nānaśanātparam

The senses here keep safe the brahmin seers, the ancestors and the gods; therefore, for the sake of wealth and of dharma alike, there is no austerity higher than fasting.

Verse 11 (12.159.11)

ऋषयः पितरो देवा मनुष्या मृगपक्षिणः । यानि चान्यानि भूतानि स्थावराणि चराणि च ॥

ṛṣayaḥ pitaro devā manuṣyā mṛgapakṣiṇaḥ | yāni cānyāni bhūtāni sthāvarāṇi carāṇi ca

Seers, ancestors, gods, men, beasts and birds, and whatever other beings there are, moving and unmoving,

Note on the text: Corrected स्यावराणि → स्थावराणि (misprint in Wikisource; स्य for स्थ, giving a non-word; CE 12.155.11 reads sthāvarāṇi). Line 1 differs from the CE (मृगपक्षिणः against mṛgasattamāḥ), a recension variant that is kept.

Verse 12 (12.159.12)

तपः परायणाः सर्वे सिध्यन्ति तपसा च ते । इत्येवं तपसा देवा महत्त्वं प्रतिपेदिरे ॥

tapaḥ parāyaṇāḥ sarve sidhyanti tapasā ca te | ityevaṃ tapasā devā mahattvaṃ pratipedire

all of them, devoted to austerity, attain success through austerity; it was thus, through austerity, that the gods reached greatness.

Verse 13 (12.159.13)

इमानीष्टविभागानि फलानि तपसः सदा । तपसा शक्यते प्राप्तुं देवत्वमपि निश्चयः ॥

imānīṣṭavibhāgāni phalāni tapasaḥ sadā | tapasā śakyate prāptuṃ devatvamapi niścayaḥ

These are the fruits of austerity, always apportioned as one wishes; by austerity even godhood can be won, of that there is no doubt.

Note on the text: Corrected प्राप्नुं → प्राप्तुं (misprint in Wikisource; न for त, giving a non-word; CE 12.155.13 reads prāptuṃ). The variant तपसः सदा / निश्चयः (CE tapasā sadā / niścayāt) is kept.