Shloka 11
Nahūṣa’s Pride, the Ṛṣi-Borne Palanquin, and the Search for Indra (नहुष-इन्द्राणी-प्रकरणम्)
वाक्यं॑ प्रणयसंयुक्तं ततः स्यां वशगा तव । देवराज! मेरे हृदयमें एक कार्यकी अभिलाषा है, उसे बताती हूँ, सुनिये। राजन्! यदि आप मेरे इस प्रिय कार्यको पूर्ण कर देंगे, प्रेमपूर्वक कही हुई मेरी यह बात मान लेंगे तो मैं आपके अधीन हो जाऊँगी ।।
vākyam praṇaya-saṁyuktaṁ tataḥ syāṁ vaśagā tava | indrasya vājino vāhā hastino 'tha rathās tathā ||
沙利耶说道：“若你以柔情接纳我所言，并成全我心中那至爱的愿望，我便将完全归于你的统御。往昔诸位因陀罗的乘具不过是马、象与战车；然而，诸天之主啊，我愿你的座驾全然卓绝——前所未有——即便毗湿奴、鲁陀罗，乃至阿修罗与罗刹，也未曾使用过的那一种。”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how desire and persuasion operate in royal and divine contexts: affectionate speech is used to secure a boon, and the sought-after boon is not moral excellence but unmatched prestige. It implicitly contrasts ethical worth with status-driven exceptionalism.
A speaker (Śalya, as marked in the verse header) conveys a request framed as loving persuasion: if the addressed lord (styled as Indra/sureśvara) grants a cherished wish, the speaker promises submission. The wish concerns an extraordinary vehicle surpassing earlier Indras’ mounts and unused even by major deities and powerful beings.