Shloka 16
अश्विनो: प्रतिसंश्रुत्य च्यवन: पाकशासनम् । प्रोवाच सहितो देवै: सोमपावश्चिनौ कुरु
aśvinoḥ pratisaṃśrutya cyavanaḥ pākaśāsanam | provāca sahito devaiḥ somapāv aśvinau kuru || pūrvakālam eva cyavana-munine aśvinīkumārayoḥ somapānaṃ kārayituṃ pratijñāya indram uvāca—devarāja! ubhau aśvinīkumārau devaiḥ saha somapāne sammilitau kuru ||
Setelah berjanji kepada kedua Aśvin, resi Cyavana berbicara kepada Indra, sang penakluk Pāka, di hadapan para dewa: “Wahai raja para dewa, terimalah kedua saudara Aśvin ini untuk turut minum Soma bersama para dewa lainnya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A dharmic promise, once made to deserving beings, carries moral force: it should be honored even if it disrupts entrenched hierarchies. Cyavana’s insistence that the Ashvins be admitted to Soma-drinking highlights fairness, fidelity to one’s word, and resistance to exclusion born of pride or rivalry.
Cyavana, having earlier assured the Ashvin twins that he would secure their right to drink Soma, confronts Indra before the assembled gods and urges him to include the Ashvins among the Soma-drinkers. The scene frames a dispute over ritual privilege and divine status, with Cyavana acting as advocate for the Ashvins.