Shloka 1636
Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)
तत्प्रसादान्मया प्राप्तं ब्राह्मुण्यं दुर्लभ महत् | तदनन्तर विश्वामित्रजीने कहा
tatprasādān mayā prāptaṃ brāhmaṇyaṃ durlabhaṃ mahat |
«Par sa grâce, j’ai atteint le grand état, si rare, de la condition de brahmane.» Puis Viśvāmitra dit : «Ô roi ! Lorsque j’étais encore kṣatriya, je pris en mon cœur une résolution inébranlable : “Je deviendrai brāhmaṇa.” C’est dans ce dessein que j’adorai le Seigneur Śaṅkara (Śiva), et par sa faveur j’obtins cette brahmanité, si difficile à conquérir.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage emphasizes that lofty spiritual status is not merely inherited but can be attained through firm resolve, disciplined worship/austerity, and—decisively—divine grace; true 'brāhmaṇya' is presented as a rare ethical-spiritual attainment.
Within Vaiśaṃpāyana’s narration, Viśvāmitra recounts to a king that he once lived as a kṣatriya, resolved to become a brāhmaṇa, worshipped Śaṅkara for that aim, and by Śiva’s favor obtained the rare state of brahminhood.