Shloka 28
Adhyāya 136: Yavakrī–Bharadvāja Saṃvāda and the Bāladhī–Dhanuṣākṣa Gāthā
Arrogance, Boons, and Nimitta
समिद्धेडग्नावुपकृत्याड्रमड़ूं होष्यामि वा मघवंस्तन्निबोध । यद्येतदेवं न करोषि काम॑ ममेप्सितं देवराजेह सर्वम्,देवराज इन्द्र! यदि आप यहाँ मेरी सारी मनोवांछित कामना पूरी नहीं करते हैं तो मैं प्रज्वलित अग्निमें अपने एक-एक अंगको होम दूँगा। इस बातको आप अच्छी तरह समझ लें
samiddhe ’gnāv upakṛtyāṅgaṁ hoṣyāmi vā maghavaṁs tan nibodha | yady etad evaṁ na karoṣi kāmaṁ mamepsitaṁ devarājeha sarvam ||
Yavakrīta said: “Know this well, O Maghavan. If you do not grant here and now the entire boon I desire, then, having kindled the fire, I will offer my own body into it limb by limb.” The verse frames a morally fraught act of coercion: a seeker attempts to force a divine power through self-harm, highlighting how desire, when ungoverned by dharma, turns austerity into intimidation rather than reverent devotion.
यवक्रीत उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse cautions that spiritual power and ritual can be misused when driven by unchecked desire: turning tapas and sacrifice into a threat undermines dharma. True devotion seeks alignment with righteousness, not coercion of the divine through self-harm.
Yavakrīta confronts Indra and issues an ultimatum: if Indra does not grant his desired boon fully, he will kindle a fire and offer his own body into it limb by limb. It is a dramatic attempt to compel divine compliance.