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 ||
With tremendous speed and force, the great swift one flew forth, seeming to brush the very wind. As that best of birds sped on, Indra struck him with his thunderbolt.
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.