Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 1636
Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)
तत्प्रसादान्मया प्राप्तं ब्राह्मुण्यं दुर्लभ महत् | तदनन्तर विश्वामित्रजीने कहा
tatprasādān mayā prāptaṃ brāhmaṇyaṃ durlabhaṃ mahat |
“承蒙他的恩典，我获得了伟大而极其罕有的婆罗门之境。” 随后毗湿瓦密多说道：“大王啊！当我仍是刹帝利之时，心中便立下坚固誓愿：‘我必成为婆罗门。’为此我礼敬供奉商羯罗（湿婆），并因他的垂怜，得到了这极难获得的婆罗门性。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage emphasizes that lofty spiritual status is not merely inherited but can be attained through firm resolve, disciplined worship/austerity, and—decisively—divine grace; true 'brāhmaṇya' is presented as a rare ethical-spiritual attainment.
Within Vaiśaṃpāyana’s narration, Viśvāmitra recounts to a king that he once lived as a kṣatriya, resolved to become a brāhmaṇa, worshipped Śaṅkara for that aim, and by Śiva’s favor obtained the rare state of brahminhood.