Shloka 10
Indra’s Brahma-hatyā, Flight from Sin, and Purification by Aśvamedha
श्रीशुक उवाच एवं सञ्चोदितो विप्रैर्मरुत्वानहनद्रिपुम् । ब्रह्महत्या हते तस्मिन्नाससाद वृषाकपिम् ॥ १० ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca evaṁ sañcodito viprair marutvān ahanad ripum brahma-hatyā hate tasminn āsasāda vṛṣākapim
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī sagte: Ermutigt durch die Worte der Weisen tötete Indra seinen Feind Vṛtrāsura. Als dieser getötet war, nahm die sündhafte Reaktion für das Töten eines Brāhmaṇa (brahma-hatyā) sicherlich Zuflucht bei Indra.
After killing Vṛtrāsura, Indra could not surpass the brahma-hatyā, the sinful reactions for killing a brāhmaṇa. Formerly he had killed one brāhmaṇa, Viśvarūpa, out of circumstantial anger, but this time, following the advice of the sages, he killed another brāhmaṇa purposely. Therefore the sinful reaction was greater than before. Indra could not be relieved from the reaction simply by performing sacrifices for atonement. He had to undergo a severe series of sinful reactions, and when he was freed by such suffering, the brāhmaṇas allowed him to perform the horse sacrifice. The planned execution of sinful deeds on the strength of chanting the holy name of the Lord or undergoing prāyaścitta, atonement, cannot give relief to anyone, even to Indra or Nahuṣa. Nahuṣa was officiating for Indra while Indra, absent from heaven, was going here and there to gain release from his sinful reactions.
FAQs
This verse states that after Indra killed his enemy, the sin of brahma-hatya immediately seized him, showing that even powerful beings face karmic reactions when an act is linked to harming a brāhmaṇa.
Śukadeva explains that Indra acted under the brāhmaṇas’ urging; yet, despite that sanction, the narrative emphasizes that the grave reaction of brahma-hatya still came upon him after the killing.
Even when an action seems justified by authority or circumstance, one should remain deeply cautious about causing harm—especially to the saintly—and seek purity, accountability, and atonement when wrongdoing occurs.