Shloka 110
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
दिव्यपुष्पविमर्दाश्व॒ साधोर्दानलवैश्व तै: । विप्रस्थ तपसा तस्य शिरो मे काउ्चनीकृतम्
divyapuṣpavimardāśva sādhordānalavaiś ca taiḥ | viprastha tapasā tasya śiro me kāñcanīkṛtam ||
岳父说道：“因践踏坠落的天花，因触及那处落水所成之泥，因在那位圣德婆罗门施舍之时将心系于散落的食粒，而尤以那位苦行婆罗门之苦行（tapas）威力为最，我的头遂化为黄金。”
श्षशुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the extraordinary spiritual efficacy of a true ascetic’s tapas and the sanctifying power of dharmic acts like dāna. Even seemingly small contacts—fallen flowers, mud touched by sacred water, or grains dropped during alms—become morally potent when connected to genuine holiness and reverent attention.
The speaker (the father-in-law) explains the cause of a miraculous change: his head became golden. He attributes this transformation to contact with sacred remnants in the vicinity of a holy Brahmin’s alms-giving and to the ascetic’s austerity, emphasizing that the ascetic’s spiritual power is the decisive factor.