Shloka 40
Bhaṅgāśvanopākhyāna — On comparative affection in strī–puruṣa union (भङ्गाश्वनोपाख्यानम्)
इन्द्रद्ध्रिन यजता मामनाहूय घिष्ठितम् । इन्द्रोडहमस्मि दुर्बुद्धे वैरं ते पातितं मया
indraddhriṇa yajatā māṁ anāhūya gṛhītam | indro ’ham asmi durbuddhe vairaṁ te pātitaṁ mayā ||
قال بهيشما: «وقال إندرا: ‘لقد أقمتِ قرباناً متصلاً بإندرا، غير أنّك أتممتِه من دون أن تستدعيني. يا امرأةَ سوءِ الرأي، إنّي أنا إندرا نفسه؛ وأنا الذي أنزلتُ عليكِ الجزاء، سداداً للعداوة التي أضمرتها لي.’»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical idea that hostility (vaira) invites consequences: even when one performs a sacred rite, motives and relationships—such as enmity and exclusion—can lead to retributive outcomes, framed here as divine agency.
Bhishma reports a speech in which a figure identifies himself as Indra and confronts a woman who completed an Indra-related sacrifice without properly invoking him, declaring that he has exacted vengeance for the enmity involved.