Shloka 156
Vāsudeva’s Upadeśa: The Inner Enemy and the Indra–Vṛtra Precedent (आत्मशत्रु-बोधः; इन्द्र-वृत्रोपाख्यानम्)
आकाशमभिदुद्राव जग्राह विषयं ततः । वायुके भीतर अमित तेजस्वी वज्ञसे पीड़ित हो वृत्रासुर भागकर आकाशमें जा छिपा और उसके विषयको ग्रहण करने लगा
ākāśam abhidudrāva jagrāha viṣayaṃ tataḥ | vāyuke bhītara amit tejasvī vajñase pīḍito ho vṛtrāsura bhāgakara ākāśa meṃ jā chipā aura usake viṣayako grahaṇa karane lagā
Vāyu said: “He fled swiftly into the sky and then seized upon its object. Terrified of Vāyu’s power, the immensely radiant Vṛtrāsura—struck and tormented by the vajra—ran off and hid in the heavens, seeking to take hold of the refuge he had chosen.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral logic of consequence in epic narrative: when one is overpowered by a superior force and burdened by the results of one’s actions, mere escape or concealment does not remove accountability; power and order continue to pursue disorder.
Vṛtrāsura, wounded and distressed by the thunderbolt and frightened of Vāyu’s might, rushes into the sky to hide and tries to seize his chosen refuge or objective, while Vāyu narrates the event.