Shloka 19
Marutta–Indra Rivalry and Bṛhaspati’s Priestly Refusal (मरुत्तेन्द्रस्पर्धा—बृहस्पतेः पौरोहित्यनिश्चयः)
अहं हि त्रिषु लोकेषु सुराणां च बृहस्पते । इन्द्रत्वं प्राप्तवानेको मरुत्तस्तु महीपति:,“बृहस्पते! एकमात्र मैं ही तीनों लोकोंका स्वामी और देवताओंका इन्द्र हूँ। मरुत्त तो केवल पृथ्वीके राजा हैं
ahaṃ hi triṣu lokeṣu surāṇāṃ ca bṛhaspate | indratvaṃ prāptavān eko maruttas tu mahīpatiḥ ||
“O Bṛhaspati, I alone have attained the sovereignty of Indra over the three worlds and over the gods. Marutta, however, is only a king upon the earth.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts cosmic sovereignty with earthly kingship, implicitly warning against pride based on rank: authority differs in scope, and claims to supremacy should be measured against one’s true domain and legitimacy.
Vyāsa reports a statement addressed to Bṛhaspati in which the speaker asserts exclusive possession of Indra’s office over the three worlds, while diminishing Marutta as merely an earthly ruler—setting up a tension between divine status and human royal ambition.