Shloka 22
सुरभि–इन्द्रसंवादः
Surabhi–Indra Dialogue as a Governance Exemplar
सत्यव्रतधरा: सर्वे सर्वे पुरुषमानिन: । हन्तारो देवशत्रूणां रक्षमां कामरूपिणाम्
satyavratadharāḥ sarve sarve puruṣamāninaḥ | hantāro devaśatrūṇāṃ rakṣasāṃ kāmarūpiṇām ||
Maitreya disse: «Todos eles são firmes em votos de verdade, e cada um se considera um homem de honra. São os matadores dos inimigos dos deuses—esses Rākṣasas capazes de mudar de forma—e, ao destruir forças que prosperam no engano e na predação, protegem a ordem divina.»
मैत्रेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links ethical integrity (truth-vows and honorable self-restraint) with rightful strength: true manliness is portrayed not as mere aggression but as the capacity to uphold dharma by opposing deceptive, predatory forces.
Maitreya characterizes a group as truth-bound and honor-driven warriors who destroy the gods’ enemies—shape-shifting Rākṣasas—framing their actions as a defense of the divine and moral order.