Shloka 2
वृत्ति-सत्सङ्ग-दान-धर्म
Livelihood, Virtuous Association, and Ethics of Giving
ज्वरेण मोहितो वृत्र: कथितस्ते जनाधिप । निहतो वासवेनेह वज्रेणेति तदानघ,निष्पाप जनेश्वर! आपने कहा है कि वृत्रासुर ज्वरसे मोहित हो गया था, उसी अवस्थामें इन्द्रने अपने वज़से उसे मार डाला
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca:
Jvareṇa mohito Vṛtraḥ kathitas te janādhipa | nihato Vāsaven eha vajreṇeti tadānagha ||
Niṣpāpa janeśvara! āpane kahā hai ki Vṛtrāsura jvarase mohita ho gayā thā, usī avasthā meṃ Indrane apane vajrase use mār ḍālā.
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O king, you have told me that Vṛtra, deluded by fever, was slain here by Vāsava (Indra) with the thunderbolt. O blameless lord of men—so you say that Vṛtrāsura, overcome by fever and thus bewildered, was killed by Indra in that very condition.”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical doubt: if an enemy is incapacitated (here, deluded by fever), the act of killing raises questions about righteousness and responsibility. Yudhiṣṭhira’s careful restatement signals scrutiny of whether victory achieved against a weakened foe aligns with dharma.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a kingly interlocutor and repeats what he has been told: Vṛtra, overcome and confused by fever, was killed by Indra using the vajra. This sets up further discussion about the circumstances and moral implications of that slaying.