Shloka 25

Ārṣṭiṣeṇa’s Siddhi and the Tīrtha-Boons; Sindhudvīpa–Devāpi Brāhmaṇya; Viśvāmitra’s Tapas Begins

Devanagari script

यत्र तप्तं तपो घोरमार्टिषिणेन भारत । ब्राह्मण्यं लब्धवांस्तत्र विश्वामित्रो महामुनि:,भरतनन्दन! वहीं आर्रिश्तो मुनिने घोर तपस्या की थी और वहीं महामुनि विश्वामित्रने ब्राह्मणत्व प्राप्त किया थ

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | yatra taptaṃ tapo ghoraṃ ārtiṣiṇena bhārata | brāhmaṇyaṃ labdhavāṃs tatra viśvāmitro mahāmuniḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: O Bhārata, in that very place where the sage Ārtiṣi performed fierce austerities, the great seer Viśvāmitra attained the status and spiritual authority of a brāhmaṇa. The verse highlights how disciplined tapas, undertaken with unwavering resolve, can transform one’s standing and inner nature, making spiritual attainment a matter of realized merit rather than mere birth.

Word by Word

यत्रwhere

तप्तम्performed (austerity) / practiced

तपःausterity, penance

घोरम्terrible, severe

आर्तिषिणाby the sage Ārtiṣi (Ārtiṣena/Ārtiṣi)

भारतO Bhārata

ब्राह्मण्यम्Brahminhood, status of a Brahmin

लब्धवान्obtained, attained

तत्रthere

विश्वामित्रःViśvāmitra

महामुनिःthe great sage

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Bhārata (addressee)

Ārtiṣi (sage)

Viśvāmitra (great sage)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores that intense tapas (disciplined spiritual effort) can lead to profound transformation and recognized spiritual authority (brāhmaṇya), suggesting that inner realization and earned merit are decisive in dharmic status.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana points out a specific sacred location: it is where the sage Ārtiṣi performed fierce austerities, and where Viśvāmitra—renowned for rising from royal origins to rishihood—attained brahminhood.