Shloka 11
समुद्रपानम् (Samudra-pānam) — Maitrāvaruṇi Drains the Ocean; Devas Seek a Means to Refill It
अगस्त्येन विना को हि शक्तोडन्योडर्णवशोषणे । अन्यथा हि न शक््यास्ते विना सागरशोषणम्,महर्षि अगस्त्यके सिवा दूसरा कौन है जो समुद्रका शोषण करनेमें समर्थ हो। समुद्रको सुखाये बिना वे दानव काबूमें नहीं आ सकते
agastyena vinā ko hi śakto 'nyo 'rṇavaśoṣaṇe | anyathā hi na śakyās te vinā sāgaraśoṣaṇam, maharṣi agastyake śivā ||
Lomaśa said: “Who, apart from Agastya, is capable of drying up the ocean? For otherwise those beings cannot be subdued—without draining the sea there is no way to bring them under control, except through the great sage Agastya.”
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
Extraordinary crises sometimes require extraordinary spiritual merit: the verse highlights the unique efficacy of a realized sage’s tapas (ascetic power) when ordinary means are insufficient, implying that dharma is protected not only by force but also by sanctity and self-mastery.
Lomaśa points out that only the sage Agastya has the capacity to dry up the ocean; without draining the sea, the hostile beings concealed within it cannot be brought under control. The statement frames Agastya as the indispensable agent for resolving the threat.