Shloka 23
स्वयमिन्द्रो भविष्यामि जीवयिष्यामि च प्रजा: । “अथवा यदि इन्द्र इच्छानुसार जल बरसानेके लिये की हुई मेरी प्रार्थना पूर्ण नहीं करेंगे तो मैं स्वयं इन्द्र हो जाऊँगा और समस्त प्रजाके जीवनकी रक्षा करूँगा ।। यो यदाहारजातश्न स तथैव भविष्यति
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
svayam indro bhaviṣyāmi jīvayiṣyāmi ca prajāḥ |
athavā yadi indra icchānusāraṃ jala-barsaṇāya kṛtāṃ mama prārthanāṃ pūrṇaṃ na kariṣyati, tato 'haṃ svayam indro bhaviṣyāmi sarva-prajānāṃ jīvana-rakṣāṃ kariṣyāmi ||
yo yad āhāra-jāta-aśnāti sa tathaiva bhaviṣyati ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: «Yo mismo me convertiré en Indra y sostendré a los pueblos. O, si Indra no cumple mi plegaria—hecha para que la lluvia caiga según la necesidad—entonces yo mismo seré Indra y protegeré la vida de todas las criaturas. Pues un ser llega a ser conforme a la clase de alimento que consume».
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage links righteous responsibility with cosmic welfare: a leader must ensure the survival of beings (through rain/prosperity) and is accountable even if divine help fails. It also states a moral-physical principle: one’s condition and character are shaped by what one consumes (āhāra), implying ethical discipline through regulated intake.
The speaker reports a forceful resolve: if Indra does not grant rain as requested, the protagonist vows to assume Indra’s role to safeguard all creatures’ lives. The concluding maxim about becoming like one’s food underscores the ethical rationale for sustaining life and maintaining purity and order.