Shloka 23
Nakula’s Declaration and the Uñchavṛtti Brāhmaṇa’s Superior Merit (Āśvamedhika Parva, Adhyāya 92)
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 ।।
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 dit : « Moi-même, je deviendrai Indra, et je ferai vivre les peuples. Ou bien, si Indra n’accomplit pas ma prière—faite afin que la pluie tombe selon le besoin—alors moi-même je serai Indra et je protégerai la vie de toutes les créatures. Car l’être devient selon la nature de la nourriture qu’il consomme. »
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.