Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)
वासुदेवस्तदोवाच पुनर्मतिमतां वर: । सुवर्णाक्षो महादेवस्तपसा तोषितो मया
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
vāsudevas tadovāca punar matimatāṁ varaḥ |
suvarṇākṣo mahādevas tapasā toṣito mayā ||
அப்போது ஞானிகளுள் முதன்மையான வாசுதேவன் மீண்டும் கூறினான்—“என் தவத்தால் பொன் போன்ற கண்களையுடைய மகாதேவனை நான் திருப்திப்படுத்தினேன்.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Spiritual attainment and divine favor are presented as arising from disciplined tapas (austerity) and sincere devotion; even the greatest figures seek grace through self-restraint rather than mere power.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana reports that Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva) resumes speaking and states that he satisfied Mahādeva (Śiva), described as ‘golden-eyed,’ through his own austerities—setting up a context of divine interaction and the fruits of tapas.