Shloka 22
Agastya’s Encounter with Ilvala and Vātāpi; Dāna, Progeny, and the Renown of Agastya-Āśrama
अगस्त्य उवाच एवमेतद् यथा5<त्थ त्वं तपोव्ययकरं तु तत् । यथा तु मे न नश्येत तपस्तन्मां प्रचोदय,अगस्त्यजीने कहा-्रिये! तुम्हारा कथन ठीक है। परंतु ऐसा करनेसे तपस्याका क्षय होगा। मुझे ऐसा कोई उपाय बताओ, जिससे मेरी तपस्या क्षीण न हो
agastya uvāca | evam etad yathāttha tvaṁ tapovyayakaraṁ tu tat | yathā tu me na naśyet tapas tan māṁ pracodaya ||
Agastya berkata: “Benar seperti yang kaukatakan. Namun jalan itu akan mengurangi daya tapa. Maka tunjukkanlah kepadaku suatu cara agar tapaku tidak lenyap.”
अगस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when a proposal is correct, one should consider its ethical and spiritual cost; Agastya seeks a path that achieves the aim without wasting or harming the accumulated power of tapas.
Agastya responds to the other speaker’s suggestion, agrees with its logic, but worries it will reduce his ascetic merit; he asks to be guided toward an alternative that preserves his tapas.