Shloka 31

Devanagari script

बन्द्युवाच अहं पुत्रो वरुणस्योत राज्ञो न मे भयं विद्यते मज्जितस्य । इमं मुहूर्त पितरं द्रक्ष्यते5य- मष्टावक्रश्चिरनष्टं कहोडम्‌,बन्दीने कहा--राजन! मैं वास्तवमें राजा वरुणका पुत्र हूँ, अत: जलमें डुबाये जानेका मुझे कोई भय नहीं है। ये अष्टावक्र दीर्घकालसे नष्ट हुए अपने पिता कहोडको इसी समय देखेंगे

Transliteration

bandyur uvāca: ahaṁ putro varuṇasyota rājño na me bhayaṁ vidyate majjitasya | imaṁ muhūrtaṁ pitaraṁ drakṣyate ’yam aṣṭāvakraś ciranaṣṭaṁ kahodam ||

Translation

Bandyu said: “I am truly the son of King Varuṇa; therefore I have no fear of being plunged into the waters. At this very moment, Aṣṭāvakra will behold his father Kahoda, long thought lost.”

Word by Word

• {'bandyuḥ': 'Bandyu (the speaker

• a learned disputant)', 'uvāca': 'said', 'aham': 'I', 'putraḥ': 'son', 'varuṇasya': 'of Varuṇa (lord/king of waters

• here as a royal/divine figure)', 'uta': 'and also / indeed', 'rājñaḥ': 'of the king', 'na me': 'not to me / I do not have', 'bhayam': 'fear', 'vidyate': 'exists, is found', 'majjitasya': 'of one who is submerged / when submerged', 'imam': 'this', 'muhūrtam': 'moment, instant', 'pitaram': 'father', 'drakṣyate': 'will see', 'ayam': 'this (person), he', 'aṣṭāvakraḥ': 'Aṣṭāvakra (sage, famed for debate)', 'cira-naṣṭam': 'lost for a long time / long missing', 'kahodam': 'Kahoda (Aṣṭāvakra’s father)'}

Speaker

अष्टावक्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bandyu
• Varuṇa
• Aṣṭāvakra
• Kahoda

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Fearlessness grounded in one’s true nature and rightful protection is contrasted with the moral certainty that truth will reveal what was hidden: the long-lost father will be restored, and injustice in the ordeal by water is about to be overturned.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bandyu declares that he is Varuṇa’s son and thus unafraid of being submerged. He then foretells that Aṣṭāvakra will immediately see his long-missing father Kahoda—anticipating the recovery of those cast into the waters after the debates.