Shloka 31
ततः स प्रणत: शक्रश्नकार च्यवनस्य तत्
tataḥ sa praṇataḥ śakraḥ śrutvā cyavanasya tat | indro mahāmuni-cyavanasya caraṇayoḥ praṇamya tasyājñāṃ pratijagrāha | tataś cyavano 'śvinīkumārābhyāṃ somarasya bhāgaṃ dattavān yajñaṃ ca samāpayām āsa | anantaraṃ śaktimān munir dyūta-mṛgayā-madya-strīṣu madaṃ vibhajya dadau |
Entendant les paroles de Cyavana, Śakra (Indra) se prosterna aux pieds du grand rishi et accepta son ordre. Cyavana accorda alors aux jumeaux Aśvin leur part légitime de l’offrande de Soma et mit fin à son sacrifice. Ensuite, dit-on, le sage puissant répartit le « mada »—l’ivresse trompeuse qui fait perdre la maîtrise de soi—entre le jeu, la chasse, l’alcool et l’obsession des femmes.
च्यवन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights two ethical points: (1) even the powerful must yield to righteousness and legitimate authority (Indra accepts the sage’s command), and (2) human downfall often arises through specific, socially visible avenues—gambling, hunting as obsession, intoxicants, and uncontrolled sexual infatuation—so restraint and discernment are essential to dharma.
Indra, having heard Cyavana, bows and agrees to his instruction. Cyavana then ensures the Aśvin twins receive a share of Soma in the sacrifice and concludes the rite. The text then adds a moral-psychological note: the sage ‘distributes’ mada (deluding intoxication) into four common pursuits—dice, hunting, liquor, and obsession with women—indicating where heedlessness tends to manifest.