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,(तत् सर्व कथयध्वं मे यथेन्द्रत्वमुपेयिवान् ।) इन्द्र बोले--बृहस्पते! नहुषने देवताओंका दुर्लभ राज्य कैसे प्राप्त किया? वह किस तपस्यासे संयुक्त है? अथवा उसमें कितना बल और पराक्रम है? उसे किस प्रकार इन्द्रपदकी प्राप्ति हुई है? ये सारी बातें आप सब लोग मुझे बताइये
indra uvāca kathaṁ ca nahuṣo rājyaṁ devānāṁ prāpa durlabham | tapasā kena vā yuktaḥ kiṁvīryo vā bṛhaspate (tat sarvaṁ kathayadhvaṁ me yathendratvam upeyivān) ||
Indra said: “O Bṛhaspati, how did Nahuṣa obtain the sovereignty of the gods, so difficult to attain? By what austerity was he endowed, or what measure of valor did he possess? Tell me everything—how he came to reach the status of Indra.”
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.