Shloka 22

Nakula’s Declaration and the Uñchavṛtti Brāhmaṇa’s Superior Merit (Āśvamedhika Parva, Adhyāya 92)

Devanagari script

अथवाभ्यर्थनामिन्द्रो न करिष्यति कामत:

Transliteration

athavābhyarthanām indro na kariṣyati kāmataḥ

Translation

否则，因陀罗也不会仅凭一己任性就赐下所求之愿。此言强调：即便是威能无比的天神，也并非被描绘为恣意妄为；诸般祈求皆须依合宜与道法（达摩）的秩序而衡量，而非只因人心所欲便得成就。

Word by Word

• अथवा: or else
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथवा

• अभ्यर्थना: request, entreaty
• अभ्यर्थना: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभ्यर्थना
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• इन्द्रः: Indra
• इन्द्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• करिष्यति: will do, will make
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Simple Future (Luṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• कामतः: at will; as desired; voluntarily
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कामतस्

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Indra

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Power—human or divine—should not be exercised merely according to personal desire. Even Indra is framed as bound by a higher standard of propriety (dharma), so a request is not automatically fulfilled just because it is asked.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana remarks that a petition made to Indra will not necessarily be granted simply on the basis of wish; the line functions as a caution that outcomes depend on legitimacy and right order, not on arbitrary favor.