Shloka 12

च्यवन-यज्ञे अश्विनोः सोमग्रहण-विवादः

Cyavana’s Sacrifice and the Aśvins’ Soma Dispute

Devanagari script

इन्द्र वाच चिकित्सकौ कर्मकरौ कामरूपसमन्वितौ । लोके चरन्तौ मर्त्यानां कथं सोममिहाहत:,इन्द्र बोले--ये दोनों चिकित्सा-कार्य करते हैं और मनमाना रूप धारण करके मृत्युलोकमें भी विचरते रहते हैं, फिर इन्हें इस यज्ञमें सोमपानका अधिकार कैसे प्राप्त हो सकता है?

Transliteration

indra uvāca: cikitsakau karmakarau kāmarūpasamanvitau | loke carantau martyānāṁ kathaṁ somam ihāhataḥ ||

Translation

قال إندرا: «إن هذين طبيبان وخادمان، موهوبان القدرة على اتخاذ الصور كيف شاءا. وهما يجولان في العالم بين البشر الفانين. فكيف يكون لهما حقّ شرب السُّوما هنا، في هذه الذبيحة؟»

Word by Word

इन्द्रःIndra

उवाचsaid

चिकित्सकौtwo physicians/healers

कर्मकरौtwo workers/servants (doing work)

कामरूपसमन्वितौendowed with the ability to assume forms at will

लोकेin the world

चरन्तौmoving about, roaming

मर्त्यानाम्of mortals

कथम्how?

सोमम्Soma (soma-juice)

इहhere (in this sacrifice/occasion)

आहतःis obtained/secured (lit. brought/struck down)

Speaker

च्यवन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Indra

Soma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the idea of ritual eligibility: Indra challenges whether those associated with serving mortals (and thus seen as outside the exclusive sphere of the gods’ sacrifice) should receive Soma. It raises an ethical tension between merit/service and inherited or status-based access to sacred privileges.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the context of a sacrificial setting, Indra objects to granting Soma to two roaming healers who work among humans and can change form at will. His objection frames a dispute about who has the right to partake of Soma in the yajña.