Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 17
Indra’s Brahma-hatyā, Flight from Sin, and Purification by Aśvamedha
ततो गतो ब्रह्मगिरोपहूत ऋतम्भरध्याननिवारिताघ: । पापस्तु दिग्देवतया हतौजा- स्तं नाभ्यभूदवितं विष्णुपत्न्या ॥ १७ ॥
tato gato brahma-giropahūta ṛtambhara-dhyāna-nivāritāghaḥ pāpas tu digdevatayā hataujās taṁ nābhyabhūd avitaṁ viṣṇu-patnyā
Indra’s sins were diminished by the influence of Rudra, the demigod of all directions. Because Indra was protected by the goddess of fortune, Lord Viṣṇu’s wife, who resides in the lotus clusters of Mānasa-sarovara Lake, Indra’s sins could not affect him. Indra was ultimately relieved of all the reactions of his sinful deeds by strictly worshiping Lord Viṣṇu. Then he was called back to the heavenly planets by the brāhmaṇas and reinstated in his position.
FAQs
This verse indicates that sins can be restrained and neutralized through truth-centered meditation (ṛtambharā-dhyāna), and ultimately by divine protection and grace—here specifically the shelter granted by Viṣṇu’s consort.
Because the deities of the directions had already weakened the force of that sin, and Indra was additionally protected by Viṣṇu-patnī (Śrī/Lakṣmī), making him inaccessible to the remaining influence of pāpa.
By cultivating steady truthfulness and sincere inner reflection—aligning thought, speech, and action with dharma—while seeking divine shelter through prayer and devotion, one reduces the momentum of harmful reactions and builds spiritual clarity.