In the events leading up to the scene on the bridge, Indy has begun to exhibit more and more compassion and selflessness. However, these traits were tempered with his drive for fortune and glory. On the bridge, however, Indy seems free of his selfish motives, willing to drop the Shankara stones into the crocodile-infested water below.
When his plan to use the stones as a hostage falls through, and Indy finds himself playing tug-of-war with Mola Ram while they dangle precariously from the severed rope bridge, he does something unexpected. Somehow, Indy channels the power of Shiva, chanting and making the stones grow hot enough to catch fire and burn through his satchel. It's not certain where this sudden arcane knowledge comes from, but it serves the purpose of implying Indy's apotheosis. Indy exhibits the requisite attributes: divine knowledge, compassion, and bliss. He now fully understands the spiritual significance (power) of the stones, and that it transcends their monetary significance.
Good point about channeling the power. I guess we just have to accept that Indy has learned something. However, if we view the films in terms of chronology, Indy seems to have forgotten much that he learned in T of D in the beginning of Raiders.
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