Shloka 15
Śrī–Indra–Bali Saṃvāda: The Departure and Fourfold Placement of Lakṣmī
तस्य पञ्चशिख: शिष्यो मानुष्या पयसा भृतः । ब्राह्मणी कपिला नाम काचिदासीत् कुटुम्बिनी
tasya pañcaśikhaḥ śiṣyo mānuṣyā payasā bhṛtaḥ | brāhmaṇī kapilā nāma kācid āsīt kuṭumbinī ||
قال بهيشما: «كان له تلميذ يُدعى بانْتشاشيخا، رُبِّي على لبنِ امرأةٍ من البشر. وكانت هناك امرأةٌ براهمنيةٌ ربّةُ بيت تُدعى كَبِيلَا. ولمّا عُدَّ ابنًا لها رضع من ثدييها؛ فلذلك، إذ عُرف بأنه ابنُ كَبِيلَا، اشتهر باسم كابِيلَيَا. وقد نال عقلًا ثابتًا زاهدًا، راسخًا في البراهمن.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how spiritual stature is grounded in inner realization and steadfastness (naiṣṭhikī buddhi, brahma-niṣṭhā), not merely in birth. Even a disciple’s social identity (being called Kāpileya) is presented as secondary to his firm orientation toward Brahman.
Bhishma introduces Pañcaśikha as a disciple associated with Kapilā, a Brahmin householder woman who nursed him. Because he was treated as her son and fed at her breast, he became known by the patronymic Kāpileya; the narration then notes his attainment of a steadfast, Brahman-centered intellect.