Shloka 17
Indra-vijaya Upākhyāna and Śalya’s Assurance to Yudhiṣṭhira (इन्द्रविजयोपाख्यानम् — शल्ययुधिष्ठिरसंवादः)
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्या भारत उद्योगपर्वके अन्तर्गत सेनोट्रोगपर्वमें इन्द्र और अगस्त्यके संवादके प्रसंगरें नहुषके पतनसे सम्बन्ध रखनेवाला सत्रहवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
tasmāt saṁśrāvayāmi tvāṁ vijayaṁ jayatāṁ vara | saṁstūyamānā vardhante mahātmāno yudhiṣṭhira | ataḥ vijayī vīroṁ meṁ śreṣṭha yudhiṣṭhira! mayā te ‘indravijaya’-nāma upākhyānaṁ śrāvitaṁ; yato mahātmanāṁ devatānāṁ stuti-praśaṁsāyāṁ kṛtāyāṁ te manuṣyāṇāṁ unnatiṁ kurvanti ||
Therefore I shall recount to you the account of victory, O Yudhiṣṭhira, best among the victorious. When great-souled divine beings are praised and extolled, O Yudhiṣṭhira, they increase in power and, in turn, promote the welfare and uplift of human beings. Hence, O Yudhiṣṭhira—foremost among triumphant heroes—I have narrated to you this episode called “Indra’s Victory,” to show that reverent praise of the gods becomes a cause for human prosperity and success.
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage teaches that sincere praise and reverent remembrance of divine powers (stuti-praśaṁsā) is not merely ritual: it strengthens the beneficent forces that uphold order and thereby becomes a cause of human uplift, prosperity, and success.
Śalya concludes an illustrative episode titled “Indra’s Victory,” addressed to Yudhiṣṭhira, set in the wider context of the Indra–Agastya dialogue and the account connected with Nahuṣa’s fall. He explains why he narrated it: praising the gods leads to growth of those great beings and to human welfare.