Shloka 110
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
दिव्यपुष्पविमर्दाश्व॒ साधोर्दानलवैश्व तै: । विप्रस्थ तपसा तस्य शिरो मे काउ्चनीकृतम्
divyapuṣpavimardāśva sādhordānalavaiś ca taiḥ | viprastha tapasā tasya śiro me kāñcanīkṛtam ||
Le beau-père dit : «Pour avoir piétiné les fleurs divines tombées, pour avoir touché la boue formée de l’eau tombée en ce lieu, pour avoir fixé mon esprit sur les grains de nourriture tombés tandis que ce saint brāhmane faisait l’aumône, et surtout par la puissance de l’ascèse (tapas) de cet ascète, ma tête fut changée en or.»
श्षशुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the extraordinary spiritual efficacy of a true ascetic’s tapas and the sanctifying power of dharmic acts like dāna. Even seemingly small contacts—fallen flowers, mud touched by sacred water, or grains dropped during alms—become morally potent when connected to genuine holiness and reverent attention.
The speaker (the father-in-law) explains the cause of a miraculous change: his head became golden. He attributes this transformation to contact with sacred remnants in the vicinity of a holy Brahmin’s alms-giving and to the ascetic’s austerity, emphasizing that the ascetic’s spiritual power is the decisive factor.