Shloka 3.43.40
मायामृगदर्शनम् (The Vision of the Illusory Deer)
पुरस्तादिह वातापिः परिभूय तपस्विनः।उदरस्थो द्विजान्हन्तिस्वगर्भोऽश्वतरीमिव।।।।
purastād iha vātāpiḥ paribhūya tapasvinaḥ | udarastho dvijān hanti svagarbho 'śvatarīm iva ||
Formerly here, Vātāpi used to oppress ascetics; lodged within their bellies, he would kill the twice-born—like a fetus destroying a she-mule from within her own womb.
Earlier in this forest, Vatapi used to humiliate the ascetic brahmins and to kill them by entering into their stomach like a womb killing the female mule.
The verse condemns treacherous violence against the righteous. Dharma demands protection of tapasvins and dvijas, and warns that evil often operates from concealment—harm from ‘within’ rather than openly.
As part of a warning framework, the story of Vātāpi is recalled to illustrate rākṣasa-like deception and hidden harm.
Discernment through precedent: the speaker uses remembered history to guide present action, a key virtue in ethical decision-making.