Shloka 3
अजेया ब्राह्मणा राजन दिवि चेह च नित्यदा । अपिबत् तेजसा हाप: स्वयमेवाज्ञिरा: पुरा
arjuna uvāca | ajeyā brāhmaṇā rājan divi ceha ca nityadā | apibat tejasā hy āpaḥ svayam evāṅgirāḥ purā |
Arjuna said: “O King, Brahmins are ever unconquerable—both here on earth and in heaven. In ancient times the great sage Aṅgirā, by the power of his own spiritual radiance, drank up the waters as though they were milk. Even then he did not feel satisfied; drinking on and on, he consumed all the water of the earth through his ascetic energy. Thereafter, O lord of the earth, he caused a mighty stream of water to flow and filled the whole world again.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts the ethical and social principle that Brahmins—representing Vedic knowledge, restraint, and tapas—are not to be challenged or harmed, because their spiritual power (tejas) makes them 'unconquerable' and their curse/blessing can affect worldly order.
Arjuna addresses the king and supports his claim with an ancient exemplum: the sage Aṅgirā, driven by an unappeased thirst, drank up the earth’s waters through ascetic radiance, and later restored the world by releasing a great flow of water—demonstrating the extraordinary potency of a ṛṣi’s tapas.