Shloka 8
Gaṅgā-Tīrtha Darśana and the Prelude to the Yavakrīta–Indra Exemplum (लोमश-युधिष्ठिर संवादः)
बन्द्युवाच एक एवाग्निर्बहुधा समिध्यते एक: सूर्य: सर्वमिदं विभाति । एको वीरो देवराजो5रिहन्ता यम: पितृणामीश्वरश्वैक एव,तब बन्दीने कहा--अष्टावक्र! एक ही अग्नि अनेक प्रकारसे प्रकाशित होती है, एक ही सूर्य इस सम्पूर्ण जगत्को प्रकाशित करता है। शत्रुओंका नाश करनेवाला देवराज इन्द्र एक ही वीर है तथा पितरोंका स्वामी यमराज भी एक ही है
bandy uvāca—eka evāgnir bahudhā samidhyate, ekaḥ sūryaḥ sarvam idaṃ vibhāti | eko vīro devarājo ’rihantā, yamaḥ pitṝṇām īśvaraś caika eva ||
Bandi said: “One and the same fire is kindled into many forms; one and the same sun illumines this entire world. So too there is but one heroic lord of the gods—Indra, the slayer of foes—and likewise Yama alone is the sovereign of the ancestors.” In context, the verse underscores unity behind apparent multiplicity and points to the ordered governance of the cosmos through singular, rightful authorities.
लोगमश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that a single reality or principle can appear in many expressions—like one fire flaring in many ways—while cosmic functions are upheld by singular rightful authorities (Indra among gods, Yama among the Pitṛs). It emphasizes unity, order, and the legitimacy of proper governance in the world.
Bandi is speaking in a contest of learning, addressing Aṣṭāvakra. He offers illustrative statements about fire, the sun, Indra, and Yama to assert a point about oneness and singular authority, as part of the argumentative exchange.