Shloka 21
Adhyaya 5 — Tvashta’s Wrath, the Birth of Vritra, and the Divine Descent as the Pandavas
यदिन्द्रदेहजं तेजस्तन्मुमोच स्वयं वृषः ।
कुन्त्या जातो महातेजास्ततो राजा युधिष्ठिरः ॥
yad indradehajaṃ tejas tan mumoca svayaṃ vṛṣaḥ | kuntyā jāto mahātejās tato rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
ಇಂದ್ರನ ಸ್ವದೇಹದಿಂದ ಜನಿಸಿದ ಆ ತೇಜಸ್ಸನ್ನು ವೃಷ (ಧರ್ಮ) ಸ್ವತಃ ಬಿಡುಗಡೆ ಮಾಡಿದನು; ಕುಂತಿಯಿಂದ ಮಹಾತೇಜಸ್ವಿ ರಾಜ ಯುಧಿಷ್ಠಿರನು ಜನಿಸಿದನು.
FAQs
The verse grounds Yudhiṣṭhira’s kingship in tejas allied with Dharma: sovereignty is portrayed as legitimate when rooted in righteousness (Vṛṣa/Dharma) and divine potency, implying that royal authority is meant to serve dharma rather than mere power.
Primarily Vaṃśa/Vaṃśānucarita (dynasties and their accounts): it identifies lineage and the divinely-sanctioned birth of a key Bharata figure.
Tejas here functions as a transferable ‘radiant essence’ linking cosmic order to human history; Dharma ‘releasing’ Indra-derived tejas symbolically suggests that true brilliance and rulership manifest when celestial power is mediated through righteousness.