Shloka 436
Agni’s Withdrawal to the Forest and Identification with Āṅgirasa (अग्न्याङ्गिरस-इतिहासः)
धर्मव्याधं तत: पृच्छ गत्वा तु मिथिलां पुरीम् । भगवन्! तो भी मेरा विचार यह है कि तुम्हें धर्मका यथार्थ ज्ञान नहीं है। विप्रवर! यदि तुम परम धर्म क्या है, यह नहीं जानते तो मिथिलापुरीमें धर्मव्याधके पास जाकर पूछो
dharmavyādhaṁ tataḥ pṛccha gatvā tu mithilāṁ purīm | bhagavan! tava me vicāra eṣaḥ—tvaṁ dharmasya yathārthaṁ jñānaṁ na vetti | vipravara! yadi tvaṁ paraṁ dharmaṁ kiṁ iti na jānāsi, tarhi mithilāpurīṁ gatvā dharmavyādhasya samīpe pṛccha |
Brahmana itu berkata: “Maka pergilah ke kota Mithilā dan tanyakan kepada pemburu yang saleh itu. Wahai tuan yang mulia, inilah penilaianku: engkau belum mengetahui dharma dalam erti yang sebenar. Wahai brahmana terbaik, jika engkau tidak memahami apakah dharma tertinggi itu, maka pergilah ke Mithilā dan bertanyalah kepada dharma-vyādha.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
True understanding of dharma is measured by lived conduct and insight, not merely by status or learning; one should seek instruction from whoever genuinely embodies dharma—even a hunter—when one’s own knowledge is incomplete.
A brahmin addresses another revered person and directs him to Mithilā to consult the ‘dharma-vyādha,’ asserting that the listener lacks accurate knowledge of dharma and should learn the nature of supreme dharma from that exemplary figure.