Shloka 23
Aṣṭāvakra–Bandi Vāda at Janaka’s Assembly
Numerical Cosmology and Restitution
अष्टावक्र उवाच विवादितो5सौ न हि मादशैहि सिंहीकृतस्तेन वदत्यभीत: । समेत्य मां निहतः शेष्यतेड्द्य मार्गे भग्नं शकटमिवाचलाक्षम्,अष्टावक्र बोले--महाराज! अभी बन्दीको हम-जैसोंके साथ शाम्त्रार्थ करनेका अवसर नहीं मिला है, इसीलिये वह सिंह बना हुआ है और निडर होकर बातें करता है। आज मुझसे जब उसकी भेंट होगी, उस समय वह पराजित होकर मुर्देकी भाँति सो जायगा। ठीक उसी तरह, जैसे रास्तेमें टूटा हुआ छकड़ा जहाँ-का-तहाँ पड़ा रह जाता है-- उसका पहिया एक पग भी आगे नहीं बढ़ता
aṣṭāvakra uvāca: vivādito 'sau na hi mādaśaiḥ siṃhīkṛtas tena vadaty abhītaḥ | sametya māṃ nihataḥ śeṣyate 'dya mārge bhagnaṃ śakaṭam ivācalākṣam ||
Aṣṭāvakra said: “That man has never been challenged in debate by people like me; therefore he has grown lion-like and speaks without fear. But when he meets me today, he will be struck down and lie still—like a cart broken on the road, its wheel unmoving, unable to go even a step further.”
अष्टावक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unchallenged success can breed arrogance; true merit is tested through fair encounter. The verse cautions against mistaking lack of opposition for superiority and implies that pride collapses when confronted by genuine knowledge.
Aṣṭāvakra declares that Bandi’s fearlessness comes from never having faced a worthy debater. He predicts that upon meeting him, Bandi will be decisively defeated and rendered powerless—illustrated by the image of a broken cart stuck on the road.