Shloka 40
Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)
पराशर उवाच प्रसाद्येह पुरा शर्व मनसाचिन्तयं नृप । महातपा महातेजा महायोगी महायशा:,पराशरजीने कहा--नरेश्वर! पूर्वकालमें यहाँ मैंने महादेवजीको प्रसन्न करके मन-ही- मन उनका चिन्तन आरम्भ किया। मेरी इस तपस्याका उद्देश्य यह था कि मुझे महेश्वरकी कृपासे महातपस्वी, महातेजस्वी, महायोगी, महायशस्वी, दयालु, श्रीसम्पन्न एवं ब्रह्मनिष्ठ वेदव्यासनामक मनोवांछित पुत्र प्राप्त हो
parāśara uvāca | prasādyeha purā śarvaṁ manasā cintayaṁ nṛpa | mahātapā mahātejā mahāyogī mahāyaśāḥ |
Parāśara said: “O king, long ago, in this very place, having propitiated Śarva (Śiva), I began to contemplate him within my mind. Through that austerity and inward devotion, I sought the Lord’s grace—so that a son of my heart’s desire might be granted: one endowed with great ascetic power, great spiritual radiance, mastery of yoga, and enduring fame.”
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical-spiritual principle that disciplined austerity (tapas) combined with inward contemplation and devotion can invite divine grace, leading to elevated outcomes—here, the aspiration for an exceptional, dharma-aligned progeny.
Parāśara narrates to a king that he once propitiated Śiva (Śarva) and began meditating upon him mentally, describing the intended fruit of that practice: the granting of a highly accomplished and illustrious son.