Shloka 19
Marutta–Indra Rivalry and Bṛhaspati’s Priestly Refusal (मरुत्तेन्द्रस्पर्धा—बृहस्पतेः पौरोहित्यनिश्चयः)
अहं हि त्रिषु लोकेषु सुराणां च बृहस्पते । इन्द्रत्वं प्राप्तवानेको मरुत्तस्तु महीपति:,“बृहस्पते! एकमात्र मैं ही तीनों लोकोंका स्वामी और देवताओंका इन्द्र हूँ। मरुत्त तो केवल पृथ्वीके राजा हैं
ahaṃ hi triṣu lokeṣu surāṇāṃ ca bṛhaspate | indratvaṃ prāptavān eko maruttas tu mahīpatiḥ ||
«Ô Bṛhaspati, moi seul ai obtenu la souveraineté d’Indra sur les trois mondes et sur les dieux. Marutta, lui, n’est qu’un roi sur la terre.»
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts cosmic sovereignty with earthly kingship, implicitly warning against pride based on rank: authority differs in scope, and claims to supremacy should be measured against one’s true domain and legitimacy.
Vyāsa reports a statement addressed to Bṛhaspati in which the speaker asserts exclusive possession of Indra’s office over the three worlds, while diminishing Marutta as merely an earthly ruler—setting up a tension between divine status and human royal ambition.