Nahūṣa’s Pride, the Ṛṣi-Borne Palanquin, and the Search for Indra (नहुष-इन्द्राणी-प्रकरणम्)
इन्द्राण्युवाच यो मे कृतस्त्वया कालस्तमाकाडुक्षे जगत्पते । ततस्त्वमेव भर्ता मे भविष्यसि सुराधिप,इन्द्राणी बोलीं--जगत्पते! आपके साथ जो मेरी शर्त हो चुकी है, उसे मैं पूर्ण करना चाहती हूँ। सुरेश्वर! फिर तो आप ही मेरे पति होंगे
indrāṇy uvāca yo me kṛtas tvayā kālas tam ākāṅkṣe jagatpate | tatas tvam eva bhartā me bhaviṣyasi surādhipa ||
ഇന്ദ്രാണി പറഞ്ഞു—“ജഗത്പതേ! നീ എനിക്കായി നിശ്ചയിച്ച കാലനിബന്ധനയുടെ പൂർത്തീകരണമാണ് ഞാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നത്. സുരാധിപാ! അതിനാൽ നീ തന്നെയാകും എന്റെ ഭർത്താവ്.”
शल्य उवाच
The verse foregrounds the ethical force of a fixed agreement (kṛtaḥ kālaḥ): once a term or condition has been set, its fulfillment is treated as binding. It also highlights how personal relationships (here, marriage) are framed through vows and negotiated commitments, making fidelity to one’s word a dharmic concern.
Within Śalya’s narration, Indrāṇī speaks to the lord of the gods, invoking an earlier stipulated condition or time-limit and requesting its completion. She then states the consequence of that agreement: that he is to become her husband, emphasizing the binding nature of the prior arrangement.