Shloka 12

च्यवन-यज्ञे अश्विनोः सोमग्रहण-विवादः

Cyavana’s Sacrifice and the Aśvins’ Soma Dispute

Devanagari script

इन्द्र वाच चिकित्सकौ कर्मकरौ कामरूपसमन्वितौ । लोके चरन्तौ मर्त्यानां कथं सोममिहाहत:,इन्द्र बोले--ये दोनों चिकित्सा-कार्य करते हैं और मनमाना रूप धारण करके मृत्युलोकमें भी विचरते रहते हैं, फिर इन्हें इस यज्ञमें सोमपानका अधिकार कैसे प्राप्त हो सकता है?

Transliteration

indra uvāca: cikitsakau karmakarau kāmarūpasamanvitau | loke carantau martyānāṁ kathaṁ somam ihāhataḥ ||

Translation

Indra disse: “Estes dois são médicos e servidores, dotados de assumir formas à vontade. Andam também pelo mundo entre os mortais. Como, então, poderiam ter direito de beber Soma aqui, neste sacrifício?”

Word by Word

इन्द्रःIndra

उवाचsaid

चिकित्सकौtwo physicians/healers

कर्मकरौtwo workers/servants (doing work)

कामरूपसमन्वितौendowed with the ability to assume forms at will

लोकेin the world

चरन्तौmoving about, roaming

मर्त्यानाम्of mortals

कथम्how?

सोमम्Soma (soma-juice)

इहhere (in this sacrifice/occasion)

आहतःis obtained/secured (lit. brought/struck down)

Speaker

च्यवन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Indra

Soma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the idea of ritual eligibility: Indra challenges whether those associated with serving mortals (and thus seen as outside the exclusive sphere of the gods’ sacrifice) should receive Soma. It raises an ethical tension between merit/service and inherited or status-based access to sacred privileges.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the context of a sacrificial setting, Indra objects to granting Soma to two roaming healers who work among humans and can change form at will. His objection frames a dispute about who has the right to partake of Soma in the yajña.