Shloka 20
Agastya’s Encounter with Ilvala and Vātāpi; Dāna, Progeny, and the Renown of Agastya-Āśrama
अगस्त्य उवाच न ते धनानि विद्यन्ते लोपामुद्रे तथा मम । यथाविधानि कल्याणि पितुस्तव सुमध्यमे,अगस्त्यजीने कहा--सुन्दर कटिप्रदेशवाली कल्याणी लोपामुद्रे! तुम्हारे पिताके घरमें जैसे धन-वैभव हैं, वे न तो तुम्हारे पास हैं और न मेरे ही पास (फिर ऐसा कैसे हो सकता है?)
agastya uvāca na te dhanāni vidyante lopāmudre tathā mama | yathāvidhāni kalyāṇi pitus tava sumadhyame ||
Agastya said: “Auspicious Lopāmudrā, slender-waisted one—neither you nor I possess the kind of wealth that exists in your father’s house. Given our present means, how could such splendor be possible?”
अगस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts ascetic simplicity with worldly affluence, implying an ethical realism: desires for comforts must be weighed against one’s actual means and chosen way of life (here, the austerity of a sage).
Agastya addresses his wife Lopāmudrā, explaining that neither of them has the kind of wealth found in her father’s household, setting up a discussion about expectations, resources, and how a couple should live given their circumstances.