Mahabharata 1.2.175 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 2, Shloka 175
समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः
Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī
नैयायिकानां मुख्येन वरुणस्यात्मजेन च । पराजितो यत्र बन्दी विवादेन महात्मना
naiyāyikānāṁ mukhyena varuṇasyātmajena ca | parājito yatra bandī vivādena mahātmanā ||
ఇక్కడ న్యాయవాదుల్లో అగ్రగణ్యుడూ, వరుణపుత్రుడూ అయిన బందిని మహాత్ముడు వాదంలో పరాజయం చేశాడని చెప్పబడింది; ఇదే జనకుని యజ్ఞంలో అష్టావక్రుడు శాస్త్రార్థం చేసి బందిని ఓడించి, ధర్మార్థంగా తన తండ్రిని విమోచించిన ఘట్టం।
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
Learning and logic are meant to uphold dharma: true scholarship is measured by its commitment to justice and compassion, not by pride in victory. Aṣṭāvakra’s triumph in debate becomes an act of restoration—freeing the wronged and correcting abuse of intellectual power.
The text alludes to the episode where Bandī, a renowned logician and Varuṇa’s son, is defeated in disputation by the great sage Aṣṭāvakra at Janaka’s sacrifice. After defeating Bandī, Aṣṭāvakra is able to recover his father, who had been cast into the sea.
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