Shloka 12
इच्छाम्यहमथापूर्व वाहनं ते सुराधिप । यन्न विष्णोर्न रुद्रस्य नासुराणां न रक्षसाम्,सुरेश्वर! पहले जो इन्द्र थे, उनके वाहन हाथी, घोड़े तथा रथ आदि रहे हैं, परंतु आपका वाहन उनसे सर्वथा विलक्षण--अपूर्व हो, ऐसी मेरी इच्छा है। वह वाहन ऐसा होना चाहिये, जो भगवान् विष्णु, रुद्र, असुर तथा राक्षसोंके भी उपयोगमें न आया हो
icchāmy aham athāpūrva vāhanaṁ te surādhipa | yan na viṣṇor na rudrasya nāsurāṇāṁ na rakṣasām, sureśvara ||
Śalya said: “O lord of the gods, I desire for you a conveyance that is unprecedented—unlike the elephants, horses, and chariots that earlier Indras have used. Let your vehicle be wholly exceptional, one that has not been employed even by Viṣṇu or Rudra, nor by the Asuras or the Rākṣasas.”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the cultural and ethical idea that true eminence seeks what is uniquely fitting and uncontaminated by prior claim—symbolized by a never-before-used vāhana. It reflects how status and responsibility are expressed through distinctive, appropriate insignia rather than mere imitation.
Śalya addresses Indra and expresses a wish to provide (or see provided) an extraordinary vehicle for him—one unlike the customary mounts of earlier Indras and not used even by major gods or demonic beings—emphasizing Indra’s singular preeminence.