Shloka 23
Nakula’s Declaration and the Uñchavṛtti Brāhmaṇa’s Superior Merit (Āśvamedhika Parva, Adhyāya 92)
स्वयमिन्द्रो भविष्यामि जीवयिष्यामि च प्रजा: । “अथवा यदि इन्द्र इच्छानुसार जल बरसानेके लिये की हुई मेरी प्रार्थना पूर्ण नहीं करेंगे तो मैं स्वयं इन्द्र हो जाऊँगा और समस्त प्रजाके जीवनकी रक्षा करूँगा ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
svayam indro bhaviṣyāmi jīvayiṣyāmi ca prajāḥ |
athavā yadi indra icchānusāraṃ jala-barsaṇāya kṛtāṃ mama prārthanāṃ pūrṇaṃ na kariṣyati, tato 'haṃ svayam indro bhaviṣyāmi sarva-prajānāṃ jīvana-rakṣāṃ kariṣyāmi ||
yo yad āhāra-jāta-aśnāti sa tathaiva bhaviṣyati ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: “Ako mismo ang magiging Indra, at aking itataguyod ang mga tao. O kung hindi tutuparin ni Indra ang aking panalangin—na inialay upang bumuhos ang ulan ayon sa pangangailangan—ako mismo ang magiging Indra at iingatan ang buhay ng lahat ng nilalang. Sapagkat ang isang nilalang ay nagiging ayon sa uri ng pagkaing kanyang kinakain.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage links righteous responsibility with cosmic welfare: a leader must ensure the survival of beings (through rain/prosperity) and is accountable even if divine help fails. It also states a moral-physical principle: one’s condition and character are shaped by what one consumes (āhāra), implying ethical discipline through regulated intake.
The speaker reports a forceful resolve: if Indra does not grant rain as requested, the protagonist vows to assume Indra’s role to safeguard all creatures’ lives. The concluding maxim about becoming like one’s food underscores the ethical rationale for sustaining life and maintaining purity and order.