Shloka 40
Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)
पराशर उवाच प्रसाद्येह पुरा शर्व मनसाचिन्तयं नृप । महातपा महातेजा महायोगी महायशा:
parāśara uvāca | prasādyeha purā śarvaṁ manasā cintayaṁ nṛpa | mahātapā mahātejā mahāyogī mahāyaśāḥ |
波罗舍罗说道：“大王啊，久远以前，就在此地，我先使沙尔瓦（湿婆）欢悦，继而在心中观想于他。凭此苦行与内在的虔敬，我祈求主的恩泽——愿赐我一位称心如愿之子：具大苦行力、大灵光、精通瑜伽，并享长久之名声。”
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical-spiritual principle that disciplined austerity (tapas) combined with inward contemplation and devotion can invite divine grace, leading to elevated outcomes—here, the aspiration for an exceptional, dharma-aligned progeny.
Parāśara narrates to a king that he once propitiated Śiva (Śarva) and began meditating upon him mentally, describing the intended fruit of that practice: the granting of a highly accomplished and illustrious son.