Shloka 293
अध्याय २०८ — इन्द्रियनिग्रहः, सत्याहिंसात्मकवाक्, कर्मफलविवेकः
Restraint of the Senses, Non-harming Truthful Speech, and Discernment of Karmic Consequence
एते ब्रह्मर्षयो नित्यमास्थिता दक्षिणां दिशम् उन्मुच
ete brahmarṣayo nityam āsthitā dakṣiṇāṁ diśam—unmuca, vimuca, balavān, svastyātreya, pramuca, idhmavāha, dṛḍhatāpūrvakaṁ uttama-vrata-pālanakārī mitrāvaruṇayoḥ pratāpī putro bhagavān agastya—ete brahmarṣayaḥ sadā dakṣiṇa-diśi vasanti.
Dijo Bhīṣma: «Estos brahmarṣis moran siempre en el cuadrante meridional: Unmucha, Vimucha, el poderoso Balavān, Svastyātreya, Pramucha, Idhmavāha y Dṛḍhatāpūrvaka; y también el ilustre sabio Agastya, el vigoroso hijo de Mitra y Varuṇa, firme en la observancia de los votos más excelsos. Estos brahmarṣis habitan siempre en el sur.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical authority of great seers: their power is grounded in steadfast austerity and faithful observance of vows (vrata). It also frames dharma as supported by exemplary lives and disciplined conduct, not merely by theory.
In Bhishma’s instruction, a catalogue of Brahmarishis is given, locating them in the southern quarter. Agastya is singled out with his lineage (son of Mitra and Varuṇa) and his strict vow-observance, reinforcing the sanctity and spiritual prominence of the southern region.