कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira
कौशिकोडप्यभवद् विप्रस्तपस्वी नो बहुश्रुतः । नदीनां संगमे ग्रामाददूरात्ू स किलावसत्
kauśiko 'py abhavad vipras tapasvī no bahuśrutaḥ | nadīnāṃ saṅgame grāmād adūrāt sa kilāvasat |
वायू म्हणाला—कौशिक नावाचा एक ब्राह्मण तपस्वी होता; पण तो शास्त्रांत फारसा बहुश्रुत नव्हता. तो गावापासून फार दूर नसलेल्या नद्यांच्या संगमावर राहात असे.
वायुदेव उवाच
The verse sets up an ethical example: spiritual practice (tapas) and a simple life may exist without extensive scriptural scholarship (bahuśruta). It invites reflection on how dharma is tested in lived situations, not only in learned discourse.
Vāyu introduces a character—Kauśika, an ascetic brāhmaṇa of limited formal learning—by locating him near a village at a river confluence, preparing the listener for a moral episode involving him.