Shloka 7
Viśvarūpa’s Death, Vṛtrāsura’s Manifestation, and the Devas’ Surrender to Nārāyaṇa
भूमिस्तुरीयं जग्राह खातपूरवरेण वै । ईरिणं ब्रह्महत्याया रूपं भूमौ प्रदृश्यते ॥ ७ ॥
bhūmis turīyaṁ jagrāha khāta-pūra-vareṇa vai īriṇaṁ brahma-hatyāyā rūpaṁ bhūmau pradṛśyate
مقابل بركة إندرا بأن خنادق الأرض ستُملأ تلقائيًّا، قبلت الأرض ربع تبعات خطيئة قتل البرهمن. وبسبب تلك التبعات نرى على سطح الأرض صحارى وبقاعًا قاحلة كثيرة.
Because deserts are manifestations of the earth’s diseased condition, no auspicious ritualistic ceremony can be performed in a desert. Persons destined to live in deserts are understood to be sharing the reactions for the sin of brahma-hatyā, the killing of a brāhmaṇa.
FAQs
This verse explains that brahma-hatyā is a grave sin whose reaction can manifest materially; the earth accepted one portion of it, seen as barren or wasted lands (īriṇa).
In the narrative, Indra seeks relief from the reaction of brahma-hatyā; by cosmic arrangement the burden is divided, and the earth accepts one fourth by taking it as the condition of pits being filled/covered, visible as wasteland.
It teaches moral accountability: harmful actions leave real consequences in the world. A devotee should act with dharma, seek purification through devotion and repentance, and avoid violence and exploitation that degrade the earth.