Shloka 6
Tapas-śreṣṭhatā: Anāśana as the Highest Austerity
Bhagīratha–Brahmā Saṃvāda
तं तु दृष्टवा वचः प्राह ब्रह्मा राजन् भगीरथम् । कथं भगीरथागास्त्वमिमं लोकं॑ दुरासदम्
taṁ tu dṛṣṭvā vacaḥ prāha brahmā rājan bhagīratham | kathaṁ bhagīrathāgās tvam imaṁ lokaṁ durāsadam, rājan ||
അവനെ കണ്ട ബ്രഹ്മാവ് രാജാവ് ഭഗീരഥനോടു പറഞ്ഞു—“രാജാവേ! ഈ ലോകം അത്യന്തം ദുർലഭമാണ്; ഭഗീരഥാ, നീ എങ്ങനെ ഇവിടെ എത്തി?”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Access to higher realms is portrayed as rare and difficult (durāsada), implying that extraordinary merit, discipline, and dharmic purpose are required; even a great king’s arrival there invites scrutiny about the means and worthiness.
Bhīṣma narrates that Brahmā sees King Bhagīratha present in a hard-to-reach divine realm and questions him directly about how he managed to arrive there.