Shloka 43
Vṛtra’s Cosmic Threat, Viṣṇu’s Upāya, and the Conditional Vulnerability
Udyoga-parva 10
विष्णु त्रिभुवनश्रेष्ठ पूजयामास धर्मवित् । ततो हते महावीर्यें वृत्रे देवभयंकरे
viṣṇuṃ tribhuvanaśreṣṭhaṃ pūjayāmāsa dharmavit | tato hate mahāvīrye vṛtre devabhayaṅkare |
Śalya said: The righteous one worshipped Viṣṇu, the supreme Lord of the three worlds. Then, when Vṛtra—mighty in valor and a terror to the gods—had been slain, Indra was inwardly overwhelmed by the falsehood of betrayal and sank into deep grief; and the sin of brahmahatyā arising from the killing of Triśiras had already been closing in upon him.
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when a deed appears to secure victory or safety, violating trust and committing grave wrongdoing (asatya, viśvāsa-ghāta, brahmahatyā) produces inner torment and moral consequence; devotion and ritual honor cannot simply erase ethical culpability without confronting the fault.
After Vṛtra, a fearsome enemy of the gods, is killed, the narrative turns to Indra’s inner state: he becomes mentally distressed, burdened by the sense of betrayal and by the already-present stain of brahmahatyā connected with the killing of Triśiras; alongside this, worship of Viṣṇu is mentioned as a significant act in the aftermath.