Shloka 7
लोगमश उवाच एवमष्टावक्र: समितौ हि गर्जन्- जातक्रोधो बन्दिनमाह राजन् । उक्ते वाक्ये चोत्तरं मे ब्रवीहि वाक्यस्य चाप्युत्तरं ते ब्रवीमि,लोमशजी कहते हैं--युधिष्ठिर! (बन्दीके सामने आ जानेपर) राजसभामें गर्जते हुए अष्टावक्रने बन्दीसे कुपित होकर इस प्रकार कहा--'मेरी पूछी हुई बातका उत्तर तुम दो और तुम्हारी बातका उत्तर मैं देता हूँ”
lomaśa uvāca—evam aṣṭāvakraḥ samitau hi garjan jāta-krodho bandinam āha rājan | ukte vākye cottaraṃ me bravīhi vākyasya cāpy uttaraṃ te bravīmi ||
Lomaśa said: “O King (Yudhiṣṭhira), then Aṣṭāvakra, roaring in the royal assembly, angered, addressed Bandin: ‘Answer the question I put to you; and I, in turn, will answer your question.’”
लोगमश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames debate as reciprocal accountability in speech: one must both answer and be prepared to answer. It also hints at the ethical tension between righteous inquiry and anger—truth-seeking should ideally be governed by restraint even in confrontation.
Lomaśa narrates to Yudhiṣṭhira how Aṣṭāvakra enters the royal assembly and challenges Bandin. In a forceful, anger-tinged manner, he proposes a question-and-answer exchange: Bandin must answer Aṣṭāvakra’s question, and Aṣṭāvakra will answer Bandin’s in return.