लोमश उवाच
भरद्वाजश् च रैभ्यश् च सखायौ संबभूवतुः ॥
ताव् ऊषतुर् इहात्यन्तं प्रीयमाणौ वनान्तरे ॥
रैभ्यस्य तु सुताव् आस्ताम् अर्वावसुपरावसू ॥
आसीद् यवक्रीः पुत्रस् तु भरद्वाजस्य भारत ॥
रैभ्यो विद्वान् सहापत्यस् तपस्वी चेतरो ऽभवत् ॥
तयोश् चाप्य् अतुला प्रीतिर् बाल्यात् प्रभृति भारत ॥
यवक्रीः पितरं दृष्ट्वा तपस्विनम् असत्कृतम् ॥
दृष्ट्वा च सत्कृतं विप्रै रैभ्यं पुत्रैः सहानघ ॥
पर्यतप्यत तेजस्वी मन्युनाभिपरिप्लुतः ॥
तपस् तेपे ततो घोरं वेदज्ञानाय पाण्डव ॥
सुसमिद्धे महत्य् अग्नौ शरीरम् उपतापयन् ॥
जनयाम् आस संतापम् इन्द्रस्य सुमहातपाः ॥
तत इन्द्रो यवक्रीतम् उपगम्य युधिष्ठिर ॥
अब्रवीत् कस्य हेतोस् त्वम् आस्थितस् तप उत्तमम् ॥
यवक्रीर् उवाच
द्विजानाम् अनधीता वै वेदाः सुरगणार्चित ॥
प्रतिभान्त्व् इति तप्ये ऽहम् इदं परमकं तपः ॥
स्वाध्यायार्थे समारम्भो ममायं पाकशासन ॥
तपसा ज्ञातुम् इच्छामि सर्वज्ञानानि कौशिक ॥
कालेन महता वेदाः शक्या गुरुमुखाद् विभो ॥
प्राप्तुं तस्माद् अयं यत्नः परमो मे समास्थितः ॥
इन्द्र उवाच
अमार्ग एष विप्रर्षे येन त्वं यातुम् इच्छसि ॥
किं विघातेन ते विप्र गच्छाधीहि गुरोर् मुखात् ॥
लोमश उवाच
एवम् उक्त्वा गतः शक्रो यवक्रीर् अपि भारत ॥
भूय एवाकरोद् यत्नं तपस्य् अमितविक्रम ॥
घोरेण तपसा राजंस् तप्यमानो महातपाः ॥
संतापयाम् आस भृशं देवेन्द्रम् इति नः श्रुतम् ॥
lomaśa uvāca
bharadvājaś ca raibhyaś ca sakhāyau saṃbabhūvatuḥ ||
tāv ūṣatur ihātyantaṃ prīyamāṇau vanāntare ||
raibhyasya tu sutāv āstām arvāvasuparāvasū ||
āsīd yavakrīḥ putras tu bharadvājasya bhārata ||
raibhyo vidvān sahāpatyas tapasvī cetaro 'bhavat ||
tayoś cāpy atulā prītir bālyāt prabhṛti bhārata ||
yavakrīḥ pitaraṃ dṛṣṭvā tapasvinam asatkṛtam ||
dṛṣṭvā ca satkṛtaṃ viprai raibhyaṃ putraiḥ sahānagha ||
paryatapyata tejasvī manyunābhipariplutaḥ ||
tapas tepe tato ghoraṃ vedajñānāya pāṇḍava ||
susamiddhe mahaty agnau śarīram upatāpayan ||
janayām āsa saṃtāpam indrasya sumahātapāḥ ||
tata indro yavakrītam upagamya yudhiṣṭhira ||
abravīt kasya hetos tvam āsthitas tapa uttamam ||
yavakrīr uvāca
dvijānām anadhītā vai vedāḥ suragaṇārcita ||
pratibhāntv iti tapye 'ham idaṃ paramakaṃ tapaḥ ||
svādhyāyārthe samārambho mamāyaṃ pākaśāsana ||
tapasā jñātum icchāmi sarvajñānāni kauśika ||
kālena mahatā vedāḥ śakyā gurumukhād vibho ||
prāptuṃ tasmād ayaṃ yatnaḥ paramo me samāsthitaḥ ||
indra uvāca
amārga eṣa viprarṣe yena tvaṃ yātum icchasi ||
kiṃ vighātena te vipra gacchādhīhi guror mukhāt ||
lomaśa uvāca
evam uktvā gataḥ śakro yavakrīr api bhārata ||
bhūya evākarod yatnaṃ tapasy amitavikrama ||
ghoreṇa tapasā rājaṃs tapyamāno mahātapāḥ ||
saṃtāpayām āsa bhṛśaṃ devendram iti naḥ śrutam ||
Lomasha said: 'Bharadvaja and Raibhya were friends. They lived here in the forest thicket, greatly delighting in one another. Raibhya had two sons — Arvavasu and Paravasu; Bharadvaja, O Bharata, had a son named Yavakri. Raibhya was learned, blessed with offspring, and a man of austerities; the other was made differently. Yet between them, from childhood, there was an incomparable love. Yavakri, seeing that his father, the ascetic, was not honored, while Raibhya together with his sons was honored by the brahmins, blameless as he was, blazed up, seized by resentment. Then, O descendant of Pandu, he began to perform terrible austerities to gain knowledge of the Vedas. Warming his body by a great, well-kindled fire, the man of immense austerity caused great disturbance to Indra. Then Indra, coming to Yavakri, O Yudhishthira, said: "For what reason have you undertaken this supreme austerity?" Yavakri said: "Honored one of the hosts of gods, I perform this highest austerity so that the Vedas may reveal themselves to the twice-born, even to those who have not studied. This is my undertaking for the sake of self-study, O Pakashasana. I wish to know all knowledge through austerity, O Kaushika. Since, over a long time, O lord, the Vedas can be obtained from the mouth of a guru, I have therefore undertaken this supreme effort." Indra said: "This is not the path, O sage among brahmins, by which you wish to go. Why court this obstacle, O brahmin? Go and learn from the mouth of a guru." Lomasha said: 'Having said this, Shakra departed; but Yavakri, O Bharata, of measureless might, once again exerted himself in austerity. Tormenting himself with terrible austerities, the great ascetic, as we have heard, greatly troubled Devendra.'
5484e4cac6c1 · published Jul 16, 2026, 5:06:20 PM UTC
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Yavakri's error lies not in desiring knowledge but in wishing to bypass service and study. Vedic knowledge cannot be won by force over the body if the heart avoids humbling itself before the guru.