Shloka 110
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
दिव्यपुष्पविमर्दाश्व॒ साधोर्दानलवैश्व तै: । विप्रस्थ तपसा तस्य शिरो मे काउ्चनीकृतम्,तदनन्तर सत्तूकी गन्ध सूँघने, वहाँ गिरे हुए जलकी कीचसे सम्पर्क होने, वहाँ गिरे हुए दिव्य पुष्पोंको रौंदने और उन महात्मा ब्राह्मणके दान करते समय गिरे हुए अन्नके कणोंमें मन लगानेसे तथा उन उज्छवृत्तिधारी ब्राह्मणकी तपस्याके प्रभावसे मेरा मस्तक सोनेका हो गया
divyapuṣpavimardāśva sādhordānalavaiś ca taiḥ | viprastha tapasā tasya śiro me kāñcanīkṛtam ||
दिव्यपुष्पविमर्दैश्च साधोर्दानलवैस्तथा । विप्रस्य तपसा तस्य शिरो मे काञ्चनीकृतम्॥
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.