Shloka 14
ईदृशश्वाप्यगस्त्यो हि कथितस्ते मयानघ । ब्रवीम्यहं ब्रूहि वा त्वमगस्त्यात् क्षत्रियं वरम्
īdṛśaś cāpy agastyo hi kathitas te mayānagha | bravīmy ahaṃ brūhi vā tvam agastyāt kṣatriyaṃ varam ||
قال بهيشما: «يا من لا إثم عليه، لقد وصفتُ لك أغاستيا على أنه حكيم ذو سلطان عجيب—براهمن بلغ تلك المنزلة. أقول هذا صراحة؛ فإن كنتَ تعرف كشتريا يفوق أغاستيا فاذكره لي.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma underscores the exceptional spiritual and moral authority of the sage Agastya, implying that true greatness is measured by tapas, wisdom, and dharma rather than by royal power; he challenges the listener to name any Kṣatriya who surpasses such a Brahmin sage.
In the course of instruction, Bhīṣma has been describing Agastya’s extraordinary stature. He now presses the interlocutor with a rhetorical challenge: either accept Agastya’s unmatched excellence or present a Kṣatriya who is superior to him.