Shloka 7
Adhyāya 12: Devas’ Petition to Nahūṣa; Bṛhaspati on Śaraṇāgata-Dharma; Indrāṇī’s Strategic Delay
बहूनि च नृशंसानि कृतानीन्द्रेण वै पुरा । वैधर्म्याण्युपधाश्वैव स व: कि न निवारित:,'प्राचीनकालमें इन्द्रने बहुत-से क्रूरतापूर्ण कर्म किये हैं। अनेक अधार्मिक कृत्य तथा छल-कपट उनके द्वारा हुए हैं। उन्हें आपलोगोंने क्यों नहीं रोका था?
bahūni ca nṛśaṃsāni kṛtānīndreṇa vai purā | vaidharmyāṇy upadhāś caiva sa vaḥ kiṃ na nivāritaḥ ||
Śalya sprach: „In alter Zeit beging Indra viele grausame Taten. Er verübte auch zahlreiche Handlungen wider das Dharma, begleitet von Täuschung und List. Warum habt ihr ihn damals nicht zurückgehalten?“
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse raises an ethical challenge: even powerful figures (including gods) can be accused of cruelty, adharmic conduct, and deception, and society’s failure to restrain wrongdoing becomes part of the moral problem.
Śalya speaks critically, invoking Indra’s past behavior as a precedent and questioning why others did not oppose or restrain Indra—implying a debate about standards of dharma and the legitimacy of using deceit or harsh means.