Shloka 12
बदरपाचन-तीर्थमाहात्म्यम् | Badarapācana Tīrtha Māhātmya
Indratīrtha and the Austerities of Srucāvatī & Arundhatī
सरित: सागरांश्षैव नदांक्षापि सरांसि च । पालयामास विधिना यथा देवान् शतक्रतु:
saritaḥ sāgarāṁś caiva nadāṁś cāpi sarāṁsi ca | pālayāmāsa vidhinā yathā devān śatakratuḥ ||
उन्होंने विधिपूर्वक नदियों और समुद्रों, सरिताओं तथा सरोवरों का पालन किया—जैसे शतक्रतु इन्द्र देवताओं की रक्षा करते हैं॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents an ideal of dharmic rule: a ruler’s duty is to protect and regulate the realm ‘by proper rule’ (vidhinā), sustaining order as Indra sustains the gods—power expressed as disciplined guardianship and stewardship.
Vaiśampāyana describes a figure’s orderly governance, using a cosmic simile: just as Indra (Śatakratu) safeguards the gods, so this ruler maintained and protected the waters—rivers, seas, and lakes—signaling stable administration and adherence to rightful procedure.