Shloka 6
Marutta’s Sacrifice and Agni’s Embassy (मरुत्त-यज्ञे दूतत्वम्)
बृहस्पतिर्वाच देवै: सह त्वमसुरान् प्रणुद्य जिघांससे चाप्युत सानुबन्धान् | यं यं समृद्ध पश्यसि तत्र तत्र दुःखं सपत्नेषु समृद्धिभाव:
bṛhaspatir uvāca: devaiḥ saha tvam asurān praṇudya jighāṃsase cāpy uta sānubandhān | yaṃ yaṃ samṛddha paśyasi tatra tatra duḥkhaṃ sapatneṣu samṛddhibhāvaḥ ||
Dijo Bṛhaspati: «Oh señor de los dioses, junto con los Devas rechazas a los Asuras y buscas darles muerte, con sus aliados y dependientes. Dondequiera que veas prosperar a alguno de ellos, allí mismo te vuelves contra él. Pues la prosperidad de los rivales se convierte en causa de aflicción».
संवर्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a psychological and ethical insight: a rival’s prosperity naturally provokes distress and can drive aggressive policy. It implicitly warns that envy and fear of an enemy’s rise often motivate conflict, and that leaders should recognize this impulse when deciding on war.
Bṛhaspati addresses the king of the gods (Indra), describing how Indra, with the Devas, repeatedly attacks Asuras wherever they appear prosperous, aiming to destroy not only them but also their supporting networks. The statement frames the Deva–Asura struggle in terms of strategic rivalry and the pain caused by an opponent’s success.