Shloka 18
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 33: Vāsuki’s Council on Averting the Sarpa-satra
वव्राज तरसा वेगाद् वायुं स्पर्थनू महाजव: । तं व्रजन्तं खगश्रेष्ठं वज्रेणेन्द्रो5भ्यताडयत्
Śaunaka uvāca |
vavrāja tarasā vegād vāyuṃ spṛśanū mahājavaḥ |
taṃ vrajantaṃ khagaśreṣṭhaṃ vajreṇendro 'bhyatāḍayat ||
Mit gewaltigem Drang und rasender Geschwindigkeit stob der große Schnelle dahin, als streife er den Wind. Während der beste der Vögel dahinflog, schlug Indra ihn mit dem vajra, dem Donnerkeil.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral tension: even divine authority (Indra) may resort to force when challenged, prompting reflection on restraint, rightful power, and the ethical limits of intervention against another being’s determined pursuit.
A supremely swift bird speeds forward with such force that it seems to touch the wind itself; seeing it in flight, Indra strikes the bird with his thunderbolt.