Shloka 29

ब्राह्मणपूजा-राजधर्मः | Royal Duty of Honoring Learned Brahmins

Devanagari script

इस प्रकार श्रीमह्ा भारत अनुशासनपर्वके अन्तर्गत दानधर्मपर्वमें इन्द्र और मतज्ञका संवादविषयक उनतीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ

Transliteration

śakra uvāca | ahaṁ iṣṭiṁ kariṣyāmi putrārtha te viśāmpate | vītahavya-sahasrāṇi yena tvaṁ prahariṣyasi ||

Translation

Śakra (Indra) berkata: “Wahai penguasa rakyat, demi engkau—agar engkau memperoleh seorang putra—aku akan melaksanakan upacara kurban (iṣṭi). Dengan daya upacara itu engkau akan mampu menumpas ribuan putra Vītahavya.”

Word by Word

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम्
• Form: common, nominative, singular

• इष्टिम्: a sacrifice/rite (iṣṭi)
• इष्टिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: इष्टि
• Form: feminine, accusative, singular

• करिष्यामि: I will do/perform
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: future (simple future), 1st, singular, parasmaipada

• पुत्रार्थम्: for the sake of a son (son-purpose)
• पुत्रार्थम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्रार्थ
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• ते: for you
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: common, dative, singular

• विशाम्पते: O lord of the people
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशाम्पति
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• वीतहव्यसहस्राणि: thousands of Vītahavya(-sons/descendants)
• वीतहव्यसहस्राणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीतहव्य-सहस्र
• Form: neuter, accusative, plural

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद्
• Form: neuter, instrumental, singular

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: common, nominative, singular

• प्रहरिष्यसि: you will strike down/kill
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-हृ
• Form: future (simple future), 2nd, singular, parasmaipada

Speaker

शक्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)
• Vītahavya
• Vītahavya’s sons/descendants
• iṣṭi (sacrificial rite)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the perceived potency of Vedic ritual (iṣṭi) to secure desired ends—here, progeny and martial success—while also raising an ethical tension: divine-sanctioned means can be directed toward destructive outcomes, reminding readers that power gained through ritual or boon still carries moral responsibility and consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Indra addresses a king (called ‘viśāmpati’) and promises to perform a special sacrifice to help him obtain a son; Indra further states that, empowered by this rite, the king will be able to kill thousands of Vītahavya’s sons/descendants.