Baka Dālbhya at Avakīrṇa-tīrtha: Rāṣṭra-kṣaya and Release through Prasāda (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 40)
स लब्ध्वा तपसोग्रेण ब्राह्मणत्वं महायशा:
sa labdhvā tapasogreṇa brāhmaṇatvaṃ mahāyaśāḥ
వైశంపాయనుడు పలికెను—ఆ మహాయశస్సుగలవాడు ఘోర తపస్సు బలంతో బ్రాహ్మణత్వాన్ని పొందెను।
वैशग्पायन उवाच
The verse highlights tapas (disciplined austerity) as a transformative force: true spiritual status and ethical refinement are presented as attainable through rigorous self-control and practice, not merely inherited.
The narrator Vaiśaṃpāyana briefly states that a highly renowned figure, through intense austerities, attained brāhmaṇatva—serving as a narrative marker of that person’s elevated standing and the power of ascetic effort.