Shloka 29

Baka Dālbhya at Avakīrṇa-tīrtha: Rāṣṭra-kṣaya and Release through Prasāda (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 40)

Devanagari script

स लब्ध्वा तपसोग्रेण ब्राह्मणत्वं महायशा:

Transliteration

sa labdhvā tapasogreṇa brāhmaṇatvaṃ mahāyaśāḥ

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: By the power of austere practice, that greatly renowned one attained the status of a brāhmaṇa—signaling a moral elevation achieved through disciplined self-restraint rather than mere birth or worldly force.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• लब्ध्वा: having obtained
• लब्ध्वा: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)

• तपसा: by austerity/penance
• तपसा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• उग्रेण: severe, intense
• उग्रेण: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उग्र
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• ब्राह्मणत्वम्: Brahminhood, the status of a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणत्वम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मणत्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• महायशाः: highly renowned, of great fame
• महायशाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महायशस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights tapas (disciplined austerity) as a transformative force: true spiritual status and ethical refinement are presented as attainable through rigorous self-control and practice, not merely inherited.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator Vaiśaṃpāyana briefly states that a highly renowned figure, through intense austerities, attained brāhmaṇatva—serving as a narrative marker of that person’s elevated standing and the power of ascetic effort.