Shloka 16
Gaṅgā-Tīrtha Darśana and the Prelude to the Yavakrīta–Indra Exemplum (लोमश-युधिष्ठिर संवादः)
बन्द्ुवाच नवैवोक्ता: सामिधेन्य: पितृणां तथा प्राहुर्नवयोगं विसर्गम् | नवाक्षरा बृहती सम्प्रदिष्टा नवयोगो गणनामेति शश्वत्,बन्दीने कहा--पितृयज्ञमें समिधा देकर अग्निको उद्दीप्त करनेके लिये जो मन्त्र पढ़े जाते हैं उन्हें सामिधेनी ऋचा कहते हैं, उनकी संख्या नौ ही बतायी गयी है। यह जो नाना प्रकारकी सृष्टि दिखायी देती है, इसमें प्रकृति, पुरुष, महत्तत्त्व, अहंकार तथा पज्चतन्मात्रा--इन नौ पदार्थोंका संयोग कारण है, ऐसा विज्ञ पुरुषोंका कथन है। बृहती-छन्दके प्रत्येक चरणमें नौ अक्षर बताये गये हैं और एकसे लेकर नौ अंकोंका योग ही सदा गणनाके उपयोगमें आता है
aṣṭāvakra uvāca | bandī uvāca—navaivoktāḥ sāmidhēnyaḥ pitṝṇāṃ tathā prāhur navayogaṃ visargam | navākṣarā bṛhatī sampradiṣṭā navayogo gaṇanām eti śaśvat ||
Aṣṭāvakra said: Bandī replied—“In the rite for the Fathers (pitṛ-yajña), the kindling-verses called Sāmidhēnī are declared to be nine. Likewise, the wise describe creation as arising from a ‘ninefold conjunction’: the manifold world-appearance proceeds from the combination of nine principles. Further, the Bṛhatī metre is taught as having nine syllables in each quarter; and in counting too, the series from one to nine is perpetually the basis of enumeration.”
अष्टावक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bandī argues for the primacy of the number nine by showing its recurrence across domains: Vedic ritual (nine Sāmidhēnī verses for the Pitṛ-yajña), cosmological explanation (a ninefold conjunction as the basis of manifested creation), prosody (Bṛhatī with nine syllables per quarter), and practical arithmetic (counting structured around 1–9). The ethical subtext is that true knowledge recognizes order and pattern across ritual, nature, and learning.
In the Aṣṭāvakra–Bandī disputation, Bandī presents a proof-like response centered on ‘nine,’ citing authoritative ritual practice and learned doctrine to defend his position. The exchange is part of a formal debate where each side supports a numerical thesis through scriptural, philosophical, and technical references.