Shloka 40
मित्रावरुणयो: पुत्रस्तथागस्त्य: प्रतापवान् । दृढायुश्चोर्ध्वबाहुश्च विश्वुतावृषिसत्तमौ
mitrāvaruṇayoḥ putras tathāgastyaḥ pratāpavān | dṛḍhāyuś cordhvabāhuś ca viśrutāv ṛṣisattamau ||
Bhīṣma said: “Agastya, the mighty sage who was born as the son of Mitra and Varuṇa, and the two foremost seers Dṛḍhāyu and Ūrdhvabāhu—both widely renowned—(are to be remembered among the eminent ṛṣis).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the authority of dharma-teaching by invoking celebrated ṛṣis: ethical instruction is grounded in the remembered lives, lineage, and renown of exemplary sages whose spiritual power and conduct make them trustworthy models.
Bhīṣma continues a discourse by listing eminent sages—Agastya (noted as the son of Mitra and Varuṇa) along with Dṛḍhāyu and Ūrdhvabāhu—presenting them as renowned ṛṣis relevant to the ongoing instruction and exemplification of dharma.