Shloka 36
Cyavana’s Yogic Display and Kuśika’s Recognition of Tapas (च्यवन-योगप्रभावः कुशिकस्य तपःप्रशंसा च)
हवींषि सर्वाणि यथा हुपभुड्धक्ते हुताशन: । एवं त्वमपि धर्मात्मन् पुरुषाग्नि: प्रतापवान्
havīṁṣi sarvāṇi yathā hutabhug bhakṣate hutāśanaḥ | evaṁ tvam api dharmātman puruṣāgniḥ pratāpavān ||
Vyāsa berkata: “Sebagaimana dewa api, pemakan persembahan, menelan setiap korban yang dicurahkan ke dalamnya, demikian juga engkau, wahai yang berhati dharma—perkasa dan menyala laksana ‘api di antara manusia’—berkuasa membakar lenyap segala cela dan keburukan kami.”
व्यवन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A truly dharmic and powerful person is compared to sacrificial fire: as fire consumes offerings, such a person can ‘consume’ or burn away moral defects—through righteous authority, discipline, and purifying influence.
Vyāsa addresses a righteous, formidable figure and praises him with an Agni-simile, saying that he is like a human fire capable of destroying the listeners’ faults and vices.