Shloka 12
भीष्म उवाच एवमुक्तो भगवता महेन्द्र: पृथिवीं तदा । चचारैरावतस्कन्धमधिरुहा[ू श्रिया वृत:,भीष्मजी कहते हैं--राजन्! भगवान् ब्रह्माजीके इस प्रकार आदेश देनेपर देवराज इन्द्र ऐगावतवकी पीठपर सवार हो राजलक्ष्मीसे सुशोभित होते हुए पृथ्वीपर विचरने लगे
bhīṣma uvāca evam ukto bhagavatā mahendraḥ pṛthivīṃ tadā | cacāra airāvataskandham adhiruhya śriyā vṛtaḥ ||
Bhishma said: Thus instructed by the Blessed Lord (Brahmā), Mahendra (Indra) mounted the back of Airāvata and began to range over the earth, resplendent with royal fortune—signifying the divinely sanctioned exercise of sovereignty and protection over the world.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate authority and governance are portrayed as grounded in adherence to higher, divinely aligned instruction; prosperity (śrī) accompanies rightful rule oriented toward maintaining order and protection.
After receiving Brahmā’s directive, Indra mounts his elephant Airāvata and roams the earth, depicted as radiant with śrī—an image of divinely sanctioned sovereignty in action.