Shloka 366
कुमाराभिषेकप्रश्नः — Inquiry into Kumāra (Skanda) Investiture at Sarasvatī
चिच्छेदास्य शिरो राजन्नपां फेनेन वासव: । राजन! इस प्रकार प्रतिज्ञा करके भी देवराज इन्द्रने चारों ओर कुहासा छाया हुआ देख पानीके फेनसे नमुचिका सिर काट लिया
cicchedāsya śiro rājann apāṁ phenena vāsavaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: “O King, Vāsava (Indra) severed his head with the foam of water. Though bound by a vow not to kill with what is wet or dry, and seeing the world veiled in mist, Indra used water-foam—neither strictly wet nor dry—to fulfill his purpose.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds an ethical dilemma: one may keep a vow’s literal wording through clever means (using foam, neither clearly wet nor dry), yet still risk violating its deeper intent. It invites reflection on whether dharma is upheld by technicalities or by sincere adherence to the spirit of one’s promise.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Indra (Vāsava), constrained by a prior pledge about not killing with wet or dry substances, exploits the ambiguous nature of water-foam and beheads the foe (Namuçi), aided by conditions like enveloping mist.