Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 42
Atithi-satkāra and the Consolation of Wise Counsel (अतिथिसत्कारः प्रज्ञानवचनस्य च पराश्वासनम्)
अब इन्द्रके पास दोहरी ब्रह्महत्या उपस्थित हुई। उसके भयसे इन्द्रने देवराजपदका परित्याग कर दिया और मानसरोवरके जलनमें उत्पन्न हुई एक शीतल कमलिनीके पास जा पहुँचे। वहाँ अणिमा आदि ऐश्वर्यके योगसे इन्द्र अणुमात्र रूप धारण करके कमलनालकी ग्रन्थिमें प्रविष्ट हो गये
atha indrasya samīpe dvi-vidhā brahmahatyā samupasthitā | tasyā bhayād indro devarājatvaṃ parityajya mānasasarovarasya jalāśaye jātaṃ śītalaṃ kamalinīṃ prati jagāma | tatra aṇimādi-aiśvarya-yogena indro 'ṇumātra-rūpaṃ dhṛtvā kamalanālasya granthiṃ praviṣṭaḥ |
Then a twofold guilt of brahmin-slaying confronted Indra. Terrified by it, Indra abandoned the sovereignty of the gods and went to a cool lotus-grove that had arisen in the waters of Lake Mānasa. There, by the yogic mastery of powers beginning with aṇimā, he assumed a form as small as an atom and hid himself within a knot of a lotus-stalk. The episode underscores how even the highest ruler is not beyond moral consequence, and how fear of sin can drive flight rather than responsible atonement.
तास्त्वाष्ट उवाच क्व गमिष्यथास्यतां तावन्मया सह श्रेयो भविष्यन्तीति
Educational Q&A
Moral authority does not exempt anyone from the consequences of grave wrongdoing: even Indra, the king of the gods, is shaken by brahmahatyā. The passage highlights the ethical weight of brahmin-slaying and suggests that evasion born of fear is a flawed response compared to facing responsibility and seeking proper expiation.
A twofold brahmahatyā approaches Indra, frightening him. He relinquishes his divine kingship, goes to Lake Mānasasarovara, and using the siddhi of aṇimā becomes minute and hides inside a knot of a lotus-stalk in a cool lotus-grove.