Mahabharata 9.40.1 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 40, Shloka 1
Baka Dālbhya at Avakīrṇa-tīrtha: Rāṣṭra-kṣaya and Release through Prasāda (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 40)
ऑपन-- माल छा सं: चत्वारिशोड् ध्याय: आर्टिषेण एवं विश्वामित्रकी तपस्या तथा वरप्राप्ति जनमेजय उवाच कथमार्टिषेणो भगवान् विपुलं तप्तवांस्तप: । सिन्धुद्वीप: कथं चापि ब्राह्म॒ण्यं लब्धवांस्तदा
janamejaya uvāca | katham ārtiṣeṇo bhagavān vipulaṁ taptavāṁs tapaḥ | sindhudvīpaḥ kathaṁ cāpi brāhmaṇyaṁ labdhavāṁs tadā |
जनमेजय उवाच—कथं भगवन् आर्तिषेणो विपुलं तपस्तप्तवान्? सिन्धुद्वीपश्च कथं तदा ब्राह्मण्यं लब्धवान्? एतत् सर्वं मे ब्रूहि; महत् कौतूहलं हि मे।
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the Mahābhārata’s ethical idea that inner discipline (tapas) and earned spiritual merit can elevate a person’s standing; true ‘brāhmaṇya’ is presented as something that may be attained through rigorous practice and divine/ascetic accomplishment, not merely assumed.
King Janamejaya asks the narrator to explain the backstory: how the revered Ārtiṣeṇa undertook immense austerities and how Sindhudvīpa came to attain brāhmaṇa status. The question sets up an ensuing account of ascetic practice and the granting of boons/recognition.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.