Shloka 35
Ārṣṭiṣeṇa’s Siddhi and the Tīrtha-Boons; Sindhudvīpa–Devāpi Brāhmaṇya; Viśvāmitra’s Tapas Begins
ससर्ज यत्र भगवॉल्लोकॉल्लोकपितामह:,कुरुवंशी नरेश! तत्पश्चात् बलवान् एवं प्रतापी बलभद्रजी उस तीर्थमें आ गये, जहाँ लोकपितामह भगवान् ब्रह्माने सृष्टि की थी, जहाँ कठोर व्रतका पालन करनेवाले मुनिश्रेष्ठ आहएिषिणने बड़ी भारी तपस्या करके ब्राह्मणत्व पाया था तथा जहाँ राजर्षि सिन्धुद्वीप, महान् तपस्वी देवापि और महायशस्वी, उमग्रतेजस्वी एवं महातपस्वी भगवान् विश्वामित्र मुनिने भी ब्राह्मणत्व प्राप्त किया था
vaiśampāyana uvāca | sasarja yatra bhagavān lokāl lokapitāmahaḥ, kuruvaṃśī nareśa! tatpaścāt balavān evaṃ pratāpī balabhadraḥ jīvaḥ taṃ tīrtham ājagāma, yatra lokapitāmaha bhagavān brahmā sṛṣṭiṃ cakāra; yatra kaṭhoravratapālanā munayaḥ śreṣṭhāḥ āhaviṣiṇo mahattapasā brāhmaṇatvaṃ prāpuḥ; yatra ca rājarṣiḥ sindhudvīpaḥ, mahātapā devāpiḥ, tathā mahāyaśāḥ ugratejā mahātapā bhagavān viśvāmitro munir api brāhmaṇatvaṃ prāptaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: O king of the Kuru line, thereafter the mighty and valorous Balabhadra came to that sacred ford—where the Lord, the grandsire of the worlds, Brahmā, had brought forth creation; where foremost sages, steadfast in severe vows, attained the status of brāhmaṇas through immense austerity; and where the royal sage Sindhudvīpa, the great ascetic Devāpi, and the renowned, fierce-splendored, highly austere sage Viśvāmitra also obtained brāhmaṇa-hood. The passage underscores the sanctifying power of tīrthas and the ethical ideal that spiritual attainment is won by discipline and tapas rather than birth alone.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that spiritual authority and elevated status (brāhmaṇatva) can be achieved through rigorous vows and tapas, emphasizing merit, discipline, and ethical self-cultivation over mere birth.
Vaiśampāyana describes Balabhadra arriving at a renowned tīrtha associated with Brahmā’s act of creation and with sages and royal ascetics—such as Sindhudvīpa, Devāpi, and Viśvāmitra—who attained brāhmaṇa-hood there through great austerities.