Shloka 1
Agni’s Withdrawal to the Forest and Identification with Āṅgirasa (अग्न्याङ्गिरस-इतिहासः)
हि मय न (0) ऑल अप षर्डाधिकॉद्विशततमो< ध्याय: कौशिक ब्राह्मण और पतिव्रताके उपाख्यानके अन्तर्गत ब्राह्मणोंके धर्मका वर्णन मार्कण्डेय उवाच वश्चिद् द्विजातिप्रवरो वेदाध्यायी तपोधन: । तपस्वी धर्मशीलक्ष॒ कौशिको नाम भारत,मार्कण्डेयजी कहते हैं--भरतनन्दन! कौशिक नामसे प्रसिद्ध एक ब्राह्मण था, जो वेदका अध्ययन करनेवाला, तपस्याका धनी और धर्मात्मा था। वह तपस्वी ब्राह्मण सम्पूर्ण द्विजातियोंमें श्रेष्ठ समझा जाता था
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | kaścid dvijāti-pravaro vedādhyāyī tapodhanaḥ | tapasvī dharmaśīlaś ca kauśiko nāma bhārata ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “O Bhārata, there once lived a Brahmin named Kauśika—foremost among the twice-born—who was devoted to Vedic study, rich in austerity, a true ascetic, and steadfast in dharma.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse establishes Kauśika as an exemplar of orthodox virtue—Vedic learning, austerity, and righteous conduct—setting up a dharma-focused narrative where ethical discernment, not merely ascetic power, will matter.
Mārkaṇḍeya begins an embedded tale by introducing the main figure, the Brahmin Kauśika, praised as foremost among the twice-born and devoted to Vedic study and tapas; this serves as the opening frame for the ensuing episode within the broader upākhyāna.