Shloka 196
इन्द्रस्य दुःखप्राप्तिः—त्रिशिरोवधः, वृत्रोत्पत्तिः, जृम्भिकाजननम्
Indra’s Distress: Slaying of Triśiras, Birth of Vṛtra, and the Origin of Yawning
चिन्तयामास तस्यैव वधोपायं युधिष्ठिर । युधिष्ठिर! तब परम बुद्धिमान् इन्द्रने अप्सराओंका आदर-सत्कार करके उन्हें विदा कर दिया और वे त्रिशिराके वधका उपाय सोचने लगे
cintayāmāsa tasyaiva vadhopāyaṃ yudhiṣṭhira |
Śalya said: “O Yudhiṣṭhira, he began to ponder the very means by which that one might be slain.” Then Indra, supremely intelligent, honored the apsarases and dismissed them, and began to think upon a stratagem for the slaying of Triśiras.
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in conflict, action should be preceded by thoughtful deliberation about the proper means (upāya). The verse foregrounds the ethical weight of choosing a method, not merely desiring an outcome.
Śalya addresses Yudhiṣṭhira and reports that someone began considering the specific strategy for killing a particular opponent—signaling a move from general hostility to concrete planning.