अगस्त्य-वातापि-उपाख्यानम्
Agastya and Vātāpi: Ilvala’s stratagem; Lopāmudrā’s emergence
पुरा देवयुगे चैव दृष्टं सर्व मया विभो । अरोचयनू् सुरा धर्म धर्म तत्यजिरेडसुरा:,प्रभो! पहले देवयुगमें ही मैंने यह सब अपनी आँखों देखा है। देवताओंने धर्मके प्रति अनुराग किया और असुरोंने उसका परित्याग कर दिया
purā devayuge caiva dṛṣṭaṃ sarvaṃ mayā vibho | arocayan surā dharmaṃ dharmāt tyajire 'surāḥ prabho ||
يا ذا البأس العظيم! في العصر القديم، عصر الآلهة، شهدتُ ذلك كلَّه بعيني. لقد اعتنق الديفا الدارما بميلٍ صادق من القلب، أمّا الأسورا، يا مولاي، فقد نبذوا الدارما وأعرضوا عنها.
लोगश उवाच
The verse contrasts two moral orientations: the Devas choose and cherish dharma, while the Asuras reject it. Ethical identity is shown as a matter of deliberate alignment—inclining toward righteousness sustains order, abandoning it leads to decline.
The speaker reports a witnessed precedent from the primordial 'age of the gods': Devas became devoted to dharma, whereas Asuras renounced it. This functions as an illustrative example to explain present outcomes through earlier moral choices.