Shloka 14
इन्द्रे हास्त्राणि दिव्यानि समस्तानि धनंजय । व॒त्राद् भीतैर्बलं देवैस्तदा शक्रे समर्पितम्,धनंजय! इन्द्रको समस्त दिव्यास्त्रोंका ज्ञान है। वृत्रासुरसे डरे हुए सम्पूर्ण देवताओंने उस समय अपनी सारी शक्ति इन्द्रको ही समर्पित कर दी थी
indre hāstrāṇi divyāni samastāni dhanañjaya | vṛtrād bhītair balaṁ devais tadā śakre samarpitam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O Dhanañjaya, Indra possesses the complete knowledge of all the divine weapons. When the gods were terrified of Vṛtra, they then entrusted their collective strength to Śakra (Indra).” The verse underscores a moral logic of leadership in crisis: when a community faces a grave threat, it consolidates its power in the most capable protector, and that protector’s mastery (here, of divine weapons) is treated as a trust held for the welfare of all.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
In a time of danger, rightful leadership involves concentrating shared power in the most competent guardian, who must hold that power as a trust for the common good—here symbolized by the gods entrusting their strength to Indra and by Indra’s mastery of divine weapons.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Arjuna, explaining that Indra knows all divine weapons and recalling the mythic moment when the gods, frightened by Vṛtra, surrendered their combined strength to Indra (Śakra) so he could confront the threat.