Shloka 22
इन्द्र उवाच कथं च नहुषो राज्यं देवानां प्राप दुर्लभम् । तपसा केन वा युक्त: किंवीर्यो वा बृहस्पते
indra uvāca kathaṁ ca nahuṣo rājyaṁ devānāṁ prāpa durlabham | tapasā kena vā yuktaḥ kiṁvīryo vā bṛhaspate (tat sarvaṁ kathayadhvaṁ me yathendratvam upeyivān) ||
Indra berkata: “Wahai Bṛhaspati, bagaimana Nahuṣa memperoleh kedaulatan para dewa yang begitu sukar diraih? Dengan tapa apa ia dianugerahi, atau seberapa besar keberanian dan dayanya? Ceritakan semuanya kepadaku—bagaimana ia sampai pada kedudukan Indra.”
इन्द्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames divine authority as something not gained casually: Indra treats sovereignty as dependent on qualifying causes—tapas (austerity/merit) and vīrya (valor/competence). It highlights an ethical expectation that high office must be justified by inner discipline and capability, and that such legitimacy should be examined through inquiry.
Indra addresses Bṛhaspati and asks for a full account of how King Nahuṣa managed to obtain the gods’ sovereignty—specifically, what austerities or heroic power enabled him to reach Indra’s own status.