Shloka 213
अध्याय २८१ — दानधर्मः, न्यायागतधनम्, ऋणत्रय-परिशोधनं च
Dāna ethics, lawful wealth, and settling obligations
ब्रह्मा स चिन्तयामास तदा भरतसत्तम । भरतसत्तम! एक श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मणके वधसे पैदा हुई ब्रह्महत्याने इन्द्रको पकड़ लिया है-- यह जानकर ब्रह्माजी विचार करने लगे
brahmā sa cintayāmāsa tadā bharatasattama | bharatasattama! eka-śreṣṭha-brāhmaṇa-vadhataḥ prādurbhūtā brahmahatyā indraṃ jagrāha—iti jñātvā brahmā cintayāmāsa ||
Bhishma said: “Then Brahmā began to reflect, O best of the Bharatas. Knowing that the sin of brahmin-slaying—born from the killing of an eminent Brāhmaṇa—had seized Indra, Brahmā turned his mind to finding a way forward.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grave ethical weight of brahmahatyā (killing a Brāhmaṇa) and the inevitability of moral consequence: even Indra is not beyond the reach of guilt. It also hints that wise governance—divine or human—requires reflective deliberation to address wrongdoing and restore order through appropriate expiation.
Bhishma narrates that Brahmā, upon realizing that the personified sin of brahmahatyā has seized Indra due to the killing of an eminent Brāhmaṇa, begins to contemplate what should be done—setting up the subsequent discussion on responsibility and atonement.