Shloka 25
इन्द्रस्य दुःखप्राप्तिः—त्रिशिरोवधः, वृत्रोत्पत्तिः, जृम्भिकाजननम्
Indra’s Distress: Slaying of Triśiras, Birth of Vṛtra, and the Origin of Yawning
त॑ तु वजहतं दृष्टया शयानमचलोपमम् । न शर्म लेभे देवेन्द्रो दीपितस्तस्य तेजसा,त्रिशिराको वज्रके प्रहारसे प्राणशून्य होकर पर्वतकी भाँति पृथ्वीपर पड़ा देखकर भी देवराज इन्द्रको शान्ति नहीं मिली। वे उनके तेजसे संतप्त हो रहे थे
taṁ tu vajahataṁ dṛṣṭvā śayānam acalopamam | na śarma lebhe devendro dīpitas tasya tejasā ||
But when Devendra (Indra) saw him lying there—struck down by the thunderbolt and motionless like a mountain—he still found no peace. Indra remained inwardly unsettled, as if scorched by the fallen one’s blazing spiritual power, showing that mere victory in battle does not automatically grant serenity when one confronts the residue of fear, guilt, or the awe inspired by another’s tapas and tejas.
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that external triumph does not guarantee inner tranquility: even a victor may feel disturbed when confronted with the formidable tejas (spiritual radiance) of the one he has slain, implying ethical and psychological consequences of violence and the awe commanded by tapas.
Śalya describes Indra seeing the thunderbolt-struck figure lying motionless like a mountain; despite the opponent being down, Indra cannot attain peace and feels as though burned or inflamed by that being’s lingering radiance and power.