Shloka 1.24.22
गङ्गा–सरयू-सङ्गमः, मलद–करूश-देशकथा, ताटकावनप्रवेशोपदेशः (The Confluence of Gaṅgā and Sarayū; the Tale of Malada–Karūśa; Counsel on Tātakā’s Forest)
इमौ जनपदौ स्फीतौ ख्यातिं लोके गमिष्यत:।मलदाश्च करूशाश्च ममाङ्गमलधारिणौ।।1.24.22।।
imau janapadau sphītau khyātiṃ loke gamiṣyataḥ |
maladāś ca karūśāś ca mamāṅga-maladhāriṇau || 1.24.22 ||
Let these two provinces, bearing the impurities from my own body, become flourishing and attain fame in the world—as Maladā and Karūṣa.
Indra blessed the place saying, 'Having absorbed impurities of my body, let these places be extremely fertile and prosperous and let this be renowned throughout this world as Malada and Karusha'.
Dharma is the power to transform stigma into blessing: what is ‘impure’ is not denied but integrated into a higher purpose—fertility, prosperity, and communal good.
Indra names and blesses two regions, explaining their identity as places that ‘carried’ his bodily impurity and thus became renowned.
Responsible sovereignty—Indra uses speech (naming/boon) to establish welfare and meaning for a land and its people.