Srimad Bhagavatam — Chaturtha Skandha, Shloka 30

Indra’s Envy at Pṛthu’s Aśvamedha and Brahmā’s Intervention

False Renunciation Exposed

Devanagari script

न वध्यो भवतामिन्द्रो यद्यज्ञो भगवत्तनु: । यं जिघांसथ यज्ञेन यस्येष्टास्तनव: सुरा: ॥ ३० ॥

Transliteration

na vadhyo bhavatām indro yad yajño bhagavat-tanuḥ yaṁ jighāṁsatha yajñena yasyeṣṭās tanavaḥ surāḥ

Translation

Lord Brahmā addressed them thus: My dear sacrificial performers, you cannot kill Indra, the King of heaven. It is not your duty. You should know that Indra is as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Indeed, he is one of the most powerful assistants of the Personality of Godhead. You are trying to satisfy all the demigods by the performance of this yajña, but you should know that all these demigods are but parts and parcels of Indra, the King of heaven. How, then, can you kill him in this great sacrifice?

Synonyms

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध-निपात)

• vadhyaḥ: fit to be slain
• vadhyaḥ: Pradhāna (प्रधान/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vadhya (कृदन्त; √vadh/वध्, यत्)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); predicate adjective ‘to be killed’

• bhavatām: of you (hon.)
• bhavatām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन); respectful ‘of you’

• indraḥ: Indra
• indraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• yat: since/because
• yat: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative particle (यत्-निपात) introducing reason ‘since/because’

• yajñaḥ: sacrifice (Yajña)
• yajñaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhagavat-tanuḥ: whose body is the Lord
• bhagavat-tanuḥ: Pradhāna (प्रधान/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक) + tanu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); predicate to yajñaḥ: ‘having the Lord as body/embodiment’

• yam: whom
• yam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); relative pronoun referring to indraḥ

• jighāṁsatha: you desire to kill
• jighāṁsatha: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √han (धातु) desiderative stem jighāṁsa (सन्नन्त)
• Form: Present (लट्), 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन); Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद); desiderative (सन्नन्त) ‘you wish to kill’

• yajñena: by/through the sacrifice
• yajñena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• yasya: whose
• yasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (पुं/नपुं), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• iṣṭāḥ: worshipped/desired
• iṣṭāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: iṣṭa (कृदन्त; √yaj/यज्, क्त; ‘worshipped/desired/obtained’)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); qualifying tanavaḥ

• tanavaḥ: forms/bodies
• tanavaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tanu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• surāḥ: the gods
• surāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); apposition to tanavaḥ

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Bhagavān (Supreme Lord)
• Surāḥ (demigods)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about yajña being the body of God?

This verse states that yajña (sacrifice) is bhagavat-tanuḥ—an embodiment of the Supreme Lord—so actions connected to yajña should be treated as sacred and aligned with dharma.

Why did Brahmā tell Pṛthu not to kill Indra in Canto 4 Chapter 19?

Brahmā restrained Pṛthu because Indra is connected to the cosmic order upheld through yajña, and harming him would disrupt the sanctity of sacrifice and the divine arrangement of the devas.

How can this teaching be applied in modern life?

Before reacting in anger, recognize the larger sacred order (dharma) behind situations; choose restraint, respect for divine systems, and solutions that protect spiritual principles over personal vengeance.