The Way Belongs to the Brahmin

The uncle and the nephew set out for King Janaka's great sacrifice. On the road they met the king himself, and his men tried to drive Aṣṭāvakra out of the way. He said to them: The way belongs to the blind man and the deaf, to a woman and to one carrying a load, and to the king, when he has not met a brahmin. But when he meets a brahmin, the way is the brahmin's.

The king said: I give you the way. Go by whatever path you please. No fire is too small to be respected, and Indra himself, the king of the gods, always bows to brahmins.