Adhyāya 122 — Śruta-vṛtta-yukta Brāhmaṇa and the Ethics of Dāna
Maitreya–Vyāsa Saṃvāda
मम ते दर्शन प्राप्तं तच्च वै सुकृतं त्वया । तिर्यग्योनौ सम जातेन मम चाभ्यर्चनात् तथा
mama te darśana prāptaṃ tacca vai sukṛtaṃ tvayā | tiryagyōnau samajātēna mama cābhyarcanāt tathā
Vyāsa berkata: “Engkau telah memperoleh penglihatan akan diriku; sesungguhnya ini adalah hasil kebajikan yang engkau layak terima. Walaupun engkau lahir dalam rahim binatang, engkau mencapainya juga melalui pemujaanmu yang penuh hormat kepadaku.”
व्यास उवाच
Merit and sincere reverence can bear fruit regardless of one’s birth; devotion and honoring the wise can lead to spiritual access (darśana) and upliftment even from a non-human state.
Vyāsa addresses a being who has gained an audience with him, affirming that this encounter is the result of the being’s own meritorious conduct—specifically, worship offered to Vyāsa—even though the being’s birth was in an animal womb.