Shloka 22
अग्निस्तुति, इन्द्रदर्शन, नहुष-भयवर्णन
Agni-hymn, discovery of Indra, and the Nahuṣa threat
इन्द्र उवाच कथं च नहुषो राज्यं देवानां प्राप दुर्लभम् । तपसा केन वा युक्त: किंवीर्यो वा बृहस्पते
indra uvāca kathaṁ ca nahuṣo rājyaṁ devānāṁ prāpa durlabham | tapasā kena vā yuktaḥ kiṁvīryo vā bṛhaspate (tat sarvaṁ kathayadhvaṁ me yathendratvam upeyivān) ||
ইন্দ্র বললেন—“হে বৃহস্পতি! নহুষ কীভাবে দেবতাদের সেই দুর্লভ রাজ্য লাভ করল? সে কোন তপস্যায় যুক্ত, অথবা তার বল ও বীর্য কতখানি? কীভাবে সে ইন্দ্রপদে পৌঁছাল—সবই আমাকে বলুন।”
इन्द्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames divine authority as something not gained casually: Indra treats sovereignty as dependent on qualifying causes—tapas (austerity/merit) and vīrya (valor/competence). It highlights an ethical expectation that high office must be justified by inner discipline and capability, and that such legitimacy should be examined through inquiry.
Indra addresses Bṛhaspati and asks for a full account of how King Nahuṣa managed to obtain the gods’ sovereignty—specifically, what austerities or heroic power enabled him to reach Indra’s own status.