Shloka 23
Gaṅgā-Tīrtha Darśana and the Prelude to the Yavakrīta–Indra Exemplum (लोमश-युधिष्ठिर संवादः)
अष्टावक्र उवाच अनेनैव ब्राह्मणा: शुश्रुवांसो वादे जित्वा सलिले मज्जिता: प्राक् । तानेव धर्मानयमद्य बन्दी प्राप्रोतु गृह्दाप्सु निमज्जयैनम्,तत्पश्चात् अष्टावक्रने कहा--महाराज! इस बन्दीने पहले बहुत-से शास्त्रज्ञ (विद्वान) ब्राह्मणोंको शास्त्रार्थमें पराजित करके पानीमें डुबवाया है, अत: इसकी भी वही गति होनी चाहिये जो इसके द्वारा दूसरोंकी हुई। इसलिये इसे पकड़कर शीघ्र पानीमें डुबवा दीजिये
aṣṭāvakra uvāca | anenaiva brāhmaṇāḥ śuśruvāṃso vāde jitvā salile majjitāḥ prāk | tān eva dharmān ayam adya bandī prāprotu gṛhītvāpsu nimajjayainam |
Aṣṭāvakra disse: “Ó rei! Por este mesmo homem, muitos brâmanes eruditos—homens de saber sagrado—foram outrora vencidos em debate e depois afogados nas águas. Portanto, que Bandin hoje encontre o mesmo destino, segundo a regra que impôs aos outros. Agarrai-o e lançai-o às águas!”
अष्टावक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds a notion of justice framed as reciprocity: the same standard (dharma) one applies to others should apply to oneself. It also raises an ethical tension—whether strict retribution is truly dharmic—inviting reflection on proportionality and the purpose of punishment.
After defeating Bandī in debate, Aṣṭāvakra argues before the king and assembly that Bandī had earlier drowned many learned Brāhmaṇas whom he defeated; therefore Bandī should now be seized and drowned in the same way.