Shloka 7
अष्टावक्र-प्रवेशः तथा ब्रह्मोद्य-प्रारम्भः
Aṣṭāvakra’s Entry and the Opening of the Brahmodya
युधिछिर उवाच कथ्थंप्रभाव: स बभूव विप्र- स्तथाभूतं यो निजग्राह बन्दिम् । अष्टावक्र: केन चासौ बभूव तत् सर्व मे लोमश शंस तत्त्वम्,युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--लोमशजी! उन ब्रह्मर्षिका कैसा प्रभाव था, जिन्होंने बन्दी-जैसे सुप्रसिद्ध विद्वानको भी जीत लिया। वे किस कारणसे अष्टावक्र (आठों अड्ोंसे टेढ़े-मेढ़े) हो गये। ये सब बातें मुझे यथार्थरूपसे बताइये
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: kathaṁprabhāvaḥ sa babhūva vipras tathābhūtaṁ yo nijagrāha bandim | aṣṭāvakraḥ kena cāsau babhūva tat sarva me Lomaśa śaṁsa tattvam ||
യുധിഷ്ഠിരൻ ചോദിച്ചു—ലോമശാ, ബന്ദിയെപ്പോലുള്ള പ്രസിദ്ധ വാദിയെയും ജയിച്ച ആ ബ്രാഹ്മണർഷിക്ക് എങ്ങനെയൊരു അത്ഭുതപ്രഭാവം ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു? പിന്നെ ഏതു കാരണത്താൽ അവൻ ‘അഷ്ടാവക്രൻ’—എട്ട് അങ്കങ്ങളിൽ വളഞ്ഞവൻ—ആയി? ഇതെല്ലാം എനിക്ക് സത്യമായി, പൂർണ്ണമായി പറഞ്ഞുതരിക.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry: true excellence is not merely physical appearance but inner power—learning, truthfulness, and spiritual merit. Yudhiṣṭhira seeks the truthful causes behind both Aṣṭāvakra’s victory in debate and his bodily deformity, pointing to the ethical idea that outcomes have discernible causes (often linked to karma and conduct) and should be understood without prejudice.
During the forest sojourn, Yudhiṣṭhira asks the sage Lomaśa to recount the true story of the brahmin Aṣṭāvakra: how he managed to defeat the celebrated debater Bandin, and why he came to be ‘eight-bent’ in body. This question sets up Lomaśa’s narration of Aṣṭāvakra’s background and the events leading to the debate.