Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 11
Baka Dālbhya at Avakīrṇa-tīrtha: Rāṣṭra-kṣaya and Release through Prasāda (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 40)
तथा च कौशिकस्तात तपोनित्यो जितेन्द्रिय: । तपसा वै सुतप्तेन ब्राह्मणत्वमवाप्तवान्
tathā ca kauśikas tāta taponityo jitendriyaḥ | tapasā vai sutaptena brāhmaṇatvam avāptavān ||
तथा च कौशिकस्तात तपोनित्यो जितेन्द्रियः । तपसा वै सुतप्तेन ब्राह्मणत्वमवाप्तवान् ॥
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sustained tapas coupled with mastery over the senses (jitendriyatā) is presented as a morally and spiritually transformative discipline, capable of elevating one’s inner status and qualities—here expressed as attaining brāhmaṇatva.
Vaiśaṃpāyana recounts that Kauśika (Viśvāmitra), through continuous austerity and strict self-restraint, performed intense tapas and thereby attained brāhmaṇa status, underscoring his ascetic achievement within the larger discourse.
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