Shloka 22
सुरभि–इन्द्रसंवादः
Surabhi–Indra Dialogue as a Governance Exemplar
सत्यव्रतधरा: सर्वे सर्वे पुरुषमानिन: । हन्तारो देवशत्रूणां रक्षमां कामरूपिणाम्
satyavratadharāḥ sarve sarve puruṣamāninaḥ | hantāro devaśatrūṇāṃ rakṣasāṃ kāmarūpiṇām ||
Maitreya said: “All of them are steadfast in vows of truth, and each considers himself a true man of honor. They are slayers of the gods’ enemies—those shape-shifting Rākṣasas—acting as protectors of the divine order by destroying forces that thrive on deceit and predation.”
मैत्रेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links ethical integrity (truth-vows and honorable self-restraint) with rightful strength: true manliness is portrayed not as mere aggression but as the capacity to uphold dharma by opposing deceptive, predatory forces.
Maitreya characterizes a group as truth-bound and honor-driven warriors who destroy the gods’ enemies—shape-shifting Rākṣasas—framing their actions as a defense of the divine and moral order.