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 ||
ഇന്ദ്രന്റെ സ്വന്തം ദേഹത്തിൽ നിന്നു ജനിച്ച ആ തേജസ്സിനെ വൃഷൻ (ധർമ്മം തന്നേ) പ്രസരിപ്പിച്ചു; കുന്തിയിൽ നിന്ന് മഹാതേജസ്വിയായ രാജാവ് യുധിഷ്ഠിരൻ ജനിച്ചു.
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.