Shloka 36
Cyavana’s Yogic Display and Kuśika’s Recognition of Tapas (च्यवन-योगप्रभावः कुशिकस्य तपःप्रशंसा च)
हवींषि सर्वाणि यथा हुपभुड्धक्ते हुताशन: । एवं त्वमपि धर्मात्मन् पुरुषाग्नि: प्रतापवान्
havīṁṣi sarvāṇi yathā hutabhug bhakṣate hutāśanaḥ | evaṁ tvam api dharmātman puruṣāgniḥ pratāpavān ||
व्यास बोले—धर्मात्मन्! जैसे हवि का भक्षक अग्निदेव समस्त आहुतियों को भस्म कर लेते हैं, वैसे ही आप भी ‘पुरुषाग्नि’ के समान प्रतापी हैं और हमारे दोष-दुर्गुणों को दग्ध करने में समर्थ हैं।
व्यवन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A truly dharmic and powerful person is compared to sacrificial fire: as fire consumes offerings, such a person can ‘consume’ or burn away moral defects—through righteous authority, discipline, and purifying influence.
Vyāsa addresses a righteous, formidable figure and praises him with an Agni-simile, saying that he is like a human fire capable of destroying the listeners’ faults and vices.