Shloka 276
Agni’s Withdrawal to the Forest and Identification with Āṅgirasa (अग्न्याङ्गिरस-इतिहासः)
अगस्त्यमृषिमासाद्य जीर्ण: क्रूरो महासुर: । ब्राह्मणोंका तिरस्कार करनेसे ही क्रूर स्वभाववाला महान् असुर अत्यन्त दुरात्मा वातापि अगस्त्य मुनिके पेटमें जाकर पच गया
agastyam ṛṣim āsādya jīrṇaḥ krūro mahāsuraḥ | brāhmaṇānāṃ tiraskāra-karaṇenaiva krūra-svabhāvo mahān asuraḥ atyanta-durātmā vātāpiḥ agastya-muneḥ peṭe gatvā pacito 'bhavat ||
Having approached the sage Agastya, the aged, cruel great demon—Vātāpi, utterly wicked by nature—was digested after entering Agastya’s belly, as a consequence of his contemptuous treatment of brāhmaṇas. The episode underscores that arrogance toward the righteous and the learned rebounds upon the offender, while the power of tapas and dharma protects the virtuous.
ब्राह्मण उवाच