Shloka 12
चित्रसेनगन्धर्वैः कौरवसंनिपातः
Citrasena and the Kaurava engagement
एतदिन्द्रेण कर्तव्यमिन्द्रे हि विपुलं बलम् । त्वंच वीर बली श्रेष्ठस्तस्मादिन्द्रो भवस्व न:,यह सब इन्द्रका कार्य है। इन्द्रमें अपरिमित बल होता है। वीर! तुम भी श्रेष्ठ बलवान् हो। अतः तुम्हीं हमारे इन्द्र हो जाओ
etad indreṇa kartavyam indre hi vipulaṁ balam | tvaṁ ca vīra balī śreṣṭhas tasmād indro bhavasva naḥ ||
Inilah tugas yang patut dilakukan oleh Indra, sebab Indra memiliki kekuatan yang amat besar. Namun engkau pun, wahai pahlawan, adalah yang terunggul dalam kekuatan; maka jadilah Indra bagi kami—pemimpin dan pelindung kami.
स्कन्द उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames leadership as a function of capability and responsibility: tasks normally assigned to the supreme leader (Indra) may rightly be entrusted to another who possesses comparable strength and excellence, for the community’s protection.
Skanda points out that the matter at hand is typically Indra’s domain because of Indra’s immense power, but he recognizes the addressed hero’s exceptional strength and urges him to assume Indra-like leadership—becoming ‘our Indra’ in the sense of chief protector.