Shloka 29

Agni’s Withdrawal to the Forest and Identification with Āṅgirasa (अग्न्याङ्गिरस-इतिहासः)

Devanagari script

क्रोध: सुविपुलो ब्रह्मन्‌ प्रसादश्च महात्मनाम्‌ । अम्मिंस्त्वतिक्रमे ब्रह्मन्‌ क्षन्तुमहसि मेडनघ,ब्रह्मन! महात्मा ब्राह्मणोंके प्रभावको बतानेवाले बहुत-से चरित्र सुने जाते हैं। उन महात्माओंका क्रोध और कृपा दोनों ही महान्‌ होते हैं। निष्पाप ब्रह्मन! मेरेद्वारा जो तुम्हारा अपराध बन गया है, उसे क्षमा करो

Transliteration

krodhaḥ suvipulo brahman prasādaś ca mahātmanām | asmiṁs tv atikramae brahman kṣantum arhasi medhāvin ||

Translation

The Brahmin said: “O Brahmin, the wrath of great-souled men is exceedingly vast, and so too is their grace. Therefore, O Brahmin, in this act of transgression, you should forgive me, O wise one.”

Word by Word

• {'krodhaḥ': 'anger, wrath', 'suvipulaḥ': 'very great, exceedingly vast', 'brahman': 'O Brahmin

• a respectful address to a Brahmin', 'prasādaḥ': 'favor, grace, benevolence

• also calmness/serenity', 'ca': 'and', 'mahātmanām': 'of great-souled persons, of noble ones', 'asmin': 'in this (matter)', 'tu': 'but/indeed/therefore (emphatic particle)', 'atikrame': 'in the transgression, in the offense', 'kṣantum': 'to forgive, to endure', 'arhasi': 'you ought to

• you are worthy to', 'medhāvin': 'wise, intelligent, discerning'}

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• ब्राह्मण (Brahmin speaker)
• महात्मानः (great-souled persons, as a class)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a moral paradox of the noble: their anger can be formidable, yet their compassion is equally great. The ethical ideal presented is to seek forgiveness with humility and to respond to offenses with kṣamā (forbearance/forgiveness), which is a mark of true greatness.

What is happening in the narrative?

A Brahmin speaker addresses another Brahmin (or a wise person addressed as ‘brahman’), acknowledging that he has committed an atikrama (offense). He appeals to the well-known power and virtue of great souls—both their capacity for wrath and for mercy—and requests pardon for his transgression.