Shloka 31
मान्धातृ-जन्म-चरितम्
The Birth and Career Account of Māndhātṛ
मान्धातेति च नामास्य चक्रुः सेन्द्रा दिवौकस:,तब इन्द्रने अपनी तर्जनी अंगुली बालकके मुँहमें डाल दी और कहा--“माम् अयं धाता ।” “अर्थात् यह मुझे ही पीयेगा” वज्रधारी इन्द्रके ऐसा कहनेपर इन्द्र आदि सब देवताओंने मिलकर उस बालकका नाम “मान्धाता” रख दिया। राजन! इन्द्रकी दी हुई प्रदेशिनी (तर्जनी) अंगुलिका रसास्वादन करके वह महातेजस्वी शिशु तेरह बित्ता बढ़ गया
māndhāteti ca nāmāsya cakruḥ sendrā divaukasaḥ | tato indreṇa pradeśinī (tarjanī) aṅgulī bālakasya mukhe prakṣiptā uktam—“mām ayaṃ dhātā” iti | vajradhariṇā indreṇa evaṃ ukte indra-prabhṛtayaḥ sarve devāḥ samāgatya tasya bālakasya nāma “māndhātā” iti cakruḥ | rājan! indra-dattāyāḥ pradeśinyā rasa-āsvādanāt sa mahātejasvī śiśuḥ trayodaśa-bittaṃ vavṛdhe ||
Sinabi ni Lomaśa: Kaya ang mga diyos, kasama si Indra, ay nagbigay sa bata ng pangalang “Māndhātā.” Sapagkat ipinasok ni Indra ang kaniyang hintuturo sa bibig ng sanggol at sinabi, “Ako ang iinumin niya”—ibig sabihin, siya’y palalakihin sa aking pag-aaruga.
लोमश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames ideal kingship as divinely sanctioned and sustained: a future ruler’s greatness is shown not merely by birth but by heavenly protection and a name that encodes destiny. Ethically, it suggests that true sovereignty is tied to higher order (dharma) and responsibility, not mere power.
Indra places his index finger in the infant’s mouth and says, “This one will drink me,” implying the child will be nourished by Indra’s divine essence. Hearing this, the assembled gods name the boy “Māndhātā,” and the child miraculously grows by thirteen spans after tasting that essence.