Shloka 30
प्रत्राजयेयं कालकेयान् पृथिव्या- मपाकर्षन् दानवानन्तरिक्षात् दिव: प्रह्लादमवसानमानयं को मे5सुखाय प्रहरेत मानव:,मैं चाहूँ तो कालकेय-जैसे दानवोंको आकाशसे खींचकर पृथ्वीपर गिरा सकता हूँ। इसी प्रकार स्वर्गसे प्रह्नादके प्रभुत्वका भी अन्त कर सकता हूँ, फिर मनुष्योंमें कौन ऐसा है जो वष्ट देनेके लिये मुझपर प्रहार कर सके?
śakra uvāca | pratrājayeyam kālakeyān pṛthivyām apākarṣan dānavān antarīkṣāt | divaḥ prahlādam avasānam ānayaṃ ko me 'sukhāya praharet mānavaḥ ||
Śakra (Indra) declares his overwhelming power: if he so wished, he could drag the Kālakeya demons down from the sky and cast them upon the earth; likewise, he could bring to an end even Prahlāda’s dominion in heaven. Therefore, he asks, what human could possibly strike him with the aim of causing him pain? The verse frames a moral contrast between divine might and human limitation, warning against reckless hostility born of pride or ignorance of one’s true capacity.
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical danger of hubris: when confronted with vastly superior power (here, divine), reckless aggression is both futile and morally misguided. It implicitly advises discernment, humility, and restraint rather than provocation driven by ego.
Indra (Śakra) speaks in a boastful, warning tone, asserting that he can subdue powerful demons like the Kālakeyas and even end Prahlāda’s heavenly rule; on that basis he challenges the idea that any human could meaningfully harm him.