Shloka 12
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 28: Dharmādharmalakṣaṇa in Āpad
Crisis-Discernment of Right and Wrong
अतन्द्रितो वर्षति भूरितेजा: संनादयजन्नन्तरिक्षं दिशश्चव । अतनन््द्रितो ब्रह्मचर्य चचार श्रेष्ठव्वमिच्छन् बलभिद् देवतानाम्
atandrito varṣati bhūritejāḥ saṃnādayajjan antarīkṣaṃ diśaś ca | atandrito brahmacaryaṃ cacāra śreṣṭhatvam icchan balabhid devatānām ||
Vāyu said: “Untiringly, the mighty one of abundant radiance poured down rain, making the mid-sky and the quarters resound. Untiringly he also practiced brahmacarya, seeking preeminence among the gods—(he who is) the breaker of strength.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Supremacy is portrayed as arising from sustained vigilance and disciplined restraint: the same untiring energy that sustains the world (bringing rain) is paired with brahmacarya and tapas-like self-control, suggesting ethical excellence and power are grounded in self-mastery.
Vāyu describes a radiant divine figure—implicitly Indra—who ceaselessly causes rain and thunderous sound across the sky and directions, while also observing brahmacarya to attain preeminence among the gods.