Shloka 32
मान्धातृ-जन्म-चरितम्
The Birth and Career Account of Māndhātṛ
प्रदेशिनीं शक्रदत्तामास्वाद्य स शिशुस्तदा । अवर्धत महातेजा: किष्कून् राजंस्त्रयोदश,तब इन्द्रने अपनी तर्जनी अंगुली बालकके मुँहमें डाल दी और कहा--“माम् अयं धाता ।” “अर्थात् यह मुझे ही पीयेगा” वज्रधारी इन्द्रके ऐसा कहनेपर इन्द्र आदि सब देवताओंने मिलकर उस बालकका नाम “मान्धाता” रख दिया। राजन! इन्द्रकी दी हुई प्रदेशिनी (तर्जनी) अंगुलिका रसास्वादन करके वह महातेजस्वी शिशु तेरह बित्ता बढ़ गया
pradeśinīṃ śakradattām āsvādya sa śiśus tadā | avardhata mahātejāḥ kiṣkūn rājan trayodaśa ||
Lomaśa sprach: „O König, nachdem der Säugling die Essenz von dem Zeigefinger gekostet hatte, den Śakra ihm gab, wuchs das Kind von großer Strahlkraft um dreizehn Spannen.“
लोमश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights that the flourishing of a future ruler is portrayed as supported by divine protection and auspicious signs, while also implying worthiness: the gods recognize and nurture a destined king, and a name can encode a moral-narrative meaning that frames his role in dharma and governance.
Indra (Śakra) places his forefinger in the infant’s mouth; the child tastes it and immediately grows by thirteen spans. Because Indra says in effect, ‘He will drink me,’ the assembled gods name the child Māndhātā, linking the name to that utterance and the miraculous event.