Mahabharata · Chapter 12.228
yadidaṃ tapa ityāhuḥ kiṃ tapaḥ samprakīrtitam / upavāsamathānyattu vedācāramatho nu kim /
śāstraṃ tapo mahāprājña tanme brūhi pitāmaha //
bhīṣma uvāca /
pakṣamāsopavāsādīnmanyante vai tapodhanāḥ / vedavratādīni tapa apare vedapāragāḥ /
vedapārāyaṇaṃ cānye cāhustatvamathāpare //
yathāvihitamācārastapaḥ sarvaṃ vrataṃ gatāḥ /
ātmavidyāvidhānaṃ yattattapaḥ parikīrtitam //
tyāgastapastathā śāntistapa indriyanigrahaḥ /
brahmacaryaṃ tapaḥ proktamāhurevaṃ dvijātayaḥ //
sadopavāso yo vidvānbrahmacārī sadā bhavet //
yo muniśca sadā dhīmānvighasāśī vimatsaraḥ /
tatastvanantamapyāhuryo nityamatithipriyaḥ //
nāntarāśīstato nityamupavāsī mahāvrataḥ /
ṛtugāmī tathā prokto vighasāśī smṛto budhaiḥ //
bhṛtyaśeṣaṃ tu yo bhuṅkte yajñaśeṣaṃ tathā'mṛtam /
evaṃ nānārthasaṃyogaṃ tapaḥ śaśvadudāhṛtam //
keṣāṃ lokā hyaparyantāḥ sarve satyavrate sthitāḥ / ye'pi karmamayaṃ prāhuste dvijā brāhmaṇāḥ smṛtāḥ /
ramante divyabhogaiśca pūjitā hyapsarogaṇaiḥ //
jñānātmakaṃ tapaśśabdaṃ ye vadanti viniścitāḥ /
te hyantarā'tmasadbhāvaṃ prapannā nṛpasattama //
etatte nṛpaśārdūla proktaṃ yatpṛṣṭvānasi /
yathā vastuni sañjñāni vividhāni bhavantyuta //
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca /
pitāmaha mahāprājña rājādhīnā nṛpāḥ punaḥ /
anyāni ca sahasrāṇi nāmāni vividhāni ca //
pratiyogīni vai teṣāṃ channānyastamitāni ca /
dṛḍhaṃ sarvaṃ prākṛtakabhidaṃ sarvatra paśya vai //
tasmādyathāgataṃ rājanyathāruci nṛṇāṃ bhavet /
asminnarthe purāvṛttaṃ śṛṇu rājanyudhiṣṭhira //
brāhmaṇānāṃ samūhe tu yaduvāca suvarcalā /
devalasya sutā vidvansarvalakṣaṇaśobhitā //
kanyā suvarcalā nāma yogabhāvitacetanā /
hetunā kena jātā sā nirdvandvā naṣṭasaṃśayā //
sā'bravītpitaraṃ vipraṃ varānveṣaṇatatparā //
andhāya māṃ mahāprājña dehi vīkṣya sulocanam /
evaṃ sma ca pitaḥ śaśvanmayedaṃ---mune //
pitovāca /
na śakyaṃ prārthituṃ vatse tvayā'dya pratibhāti me / andhatā'nandhatā ceti vicāro mama jāyate /
unmatteva sute vākyaṃ bhāṣase pṛthulocane //
kanyovāca /
nāhamunmattabhūtā'dya buddhipūrvaṃ bravīmi te /
viddhi vaitādṛśaṃ loke sa māṃ bhajati vedavit //
yānyāṃstvaṃ manyase dātuṃ māṃ dvijottama tāniha /
ānayānyānmahābhāga hyahaṃ drakṣyāmi teṣu tam //
tatheti coktvā tāṃ vipraḥ preṣayāmāsa śiṣyakān / ṛṣeḥ prabhāvaṃ dṛṣṭvā te kanyāyāśca dvijottamāḥ /
anekamunayo rājansamprāptā devalāśramam //
tānāgatānathābhyarcyaṃ kanyāmāha pitā mahān /
yadīcchasi varaṃ bhadre taṃ vipraṃ varaya svayam //
tatheci coktvā kalyāṇī taptahemanibhānanā /
karasammitamadhyāṅgī vākyamāha tapodhanāḥ //
yadyasti sammato vipro hyandho'nandhaḥ sa me varaḥ /
nocurviprā mahābhāgāṃ prativākyaṃ yayuśca te //
kanyā ca tiṣṭhatāmatra piturveśmani bhārata //
śvetaketuḥ kahālasya śyālaḥ paramadharmavit /
śrutvā brahmā tadāgamya kanyāmāha mahīpate //
sohaṃ bhadre samāvṛttastvayokto yaḥ purā dvijaḥ /
viśālanayanaṃ viddhi māmandho'haṃ vṛṇīṣva mām //
suvarcalovāca /
kathaṃ viśālanetro'si kathaṃ vā tvamalocanaḥ /
brūhi paścādahaṃ vidvanparīkṣe tvāṃ dvijottama //
dvija uvāca /
śabde sparśe tathā rūpe rase gandhe sahetukam / na me pravartate ceto na pratyakṣaṃ hi teṣu me /
alocano'haṃ tasmāddhi na gatirvidyate yataḥ //
yena paśyati suśroṇi bhāṣate spṛśate punaḥ /
bhujyate ghrāyate nityaṃ śṛṇoti manute tathā //
taccakṣurvidyate mahyaṃ yena paśyati vai sphuṭam / sulocano'haṃ bhadre vai pṛccha vā kiṃ vadāmi te /
sarvamasminna me vidyā vidvānhi paramārthataḥ //
sā viśuddhā tato bhūtvā śvetaketuṃ mahāmunim /
praṇamya pūjayāmāsa tāṃ bhāryāṃ sa ca labdhavān //
vairāgyasaṃyutā kanyā tādṛśaṃ parimuttamam /
prāptā rājanmahāprājña tasmādarthaḥ pṛthakpṛthak //
etatte kathitaṃ rājankiṃ bhūyaḥ śrotumicchasi //
Original text: Mahābhārata (southern recension) · Edition: Śrīman Mahābhāratam, ed. T. R. Krishnacharya and T. R. Vyasacharya, Nirnaya Sagar Press, Bombay 1906–1910; e-text by SARIT (Shrinivasa Varakhedi and others) · SARIT: Search and Retrieval of Indic Texts · SARIT (e-text) via Internet Archive · CC BY-SA 3.0