Shloka 4
Vṛtra’s Cosmic Threat, Viṣṇu’s Upāya, and the Conditional Vulnerability
Udyoga-parva 10
तस्माद् विनिश्चयमिमं शृणुध्व॑ त्रेदिवौकस: । विष्णो: क्षयमुपागम्य समेत्य च महात्मना । तेन सम्मन्त्रय वेत्स्थामो वधोपायं दुरात्मन:
tasmād viniścayam imaṃ śṛṇudhva tredivaukasaḥ | viṣṇoḥ kṣayam upāgamya sametya ca mahātmanā | tena sammantraya vetsyāmo vadhopāyaṃ durātmanaḥ ||
Darum, ihr Bewohner der drei Himmel, hört meinen festen Entschluss: Lasst uns zur Wohnstatt Viṣṇus gehen und, dem großen Höchsten begegnend, mit ihm Rat halten. Unter seiner Führung werden wir das Mittel erfahren, jenen ruchlosen zu töten.
इन्द्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when confronting a destructive evil, action should proceed from deliberation and alignment with dharma—seeking higher, principled guidance rather than acting from anger or haste.
Indra addresses the assembled gods and proposes a collective decision: they should go to Viṣṇu’s abode, meet the great Supreme One, and consult him to learn the proper means to kill a wicked adversary.