Shloka 29
ब्राह्मणपूजा-राजधर्मः | Royal Duty of Honoring Learned Brahmins
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्ा भारत अनुशासनपर्वके अन्तर्गत दानधर्मपर्वमें इन्द्र और मतज्ञका संवादविषयक उनतीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ,अहमिष्टिं करिष्यामि पुत्रार्थ ते विशाम्पते | वीतहव्यसहस््राणि येन त्वं प्रहरिष्यसि “प्रजानाथ! मैं तुम्हारी पुत्र-प्राप्तिके लिये एक यज्ञ करूँगा जिसकी सहायतासे तुम हजारों वीतहव्य-पुत्रोंकी मार गिराओगे”
śakra uvāca | ahaṁ iṣṭiṁ kariṣyāmi putrārtha te viśāmpate | vītahavya-sahasrāṇi yena tvaṁ prahariṣyasi ||
Śakra (Indra) bersabda: “Wahai tuan rakyat jelata, demi engkau—agar engkau memperoleh seorang putera—aku akan melaksanakan suatu upacara korban (iṣṭi). Dengan kekuatan upacara itu engkau akan mampu menewaskan ribuan putera Vītahavya.”
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the perceived potency of Vedic ritual (iṣṭi) to secure desired ends—here, progeny and martial success—while also raising an ethical tension: divine-sanctioned means can be directed toward destructive outcomes, reminding readers that power gained through ritual or boon still carries moral responsibility and consequences.
Indra addresses a king (called ‘viśāmpati’) and promises to perform a special sacrifice to help him obtain a son; Indra further states that, empowered by this rite, the king will be able to kill thousands of Vītahavya’s sons/descendants.