Shloka 5
अगस्त्य-वातापि-उपाख्यानम्
Agastya and Vātāpi: Ilvala’s stratagem; Lopāmudrā’s emergence
मया हि दृष्टा दैतेया दानवाश्न महीपते । वर्धमाना ह्ुधर्मेण क्षयं चोपगता: पुन:,महीपाल! मैंने दैत्यों और दानवोंको अधर्मके द्वारा बढ़ते और पुनः नष्ट होते भी देखा है
mayā hi dṛṣṭā daiteyā dānavāś ca mahīpate | vardhamānā hy adharmeṇa kṣayaṃ copagatāḥ punaḥ ||
Lomaśa said: “O king, I have indeed seen the Daityas and Dānavas: they prosper for a time by unrighteousness, yet again they fall into ruin.”
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and prosperity gained through adharma may appear to grow, but it is inherently unstable and culminates in kṣaya (ruin). The verse uses the example of Daityas and Dānavas to underline moral causality: unrighteous means carry the seed of downfall.
The speaker addresses a king (mahīpati) and offers an experiential observation: he has witnessed demonic powers (Daityas and Dānavas) rise by unrighteous conduct and then be destroyed again. The statement functions as counsel—warning the ruler not to trust or adopt adharma as a path to success.