Shloka 1.24.18
गङ्गा–सरयू-सङ्गमः, मलद–करूश-देशकथा, ताटकावनप्रवेशोपदेशः (The Confluence of Gaṅgā and Sarayū; the Tale of Malada–Karūśa; Counsel on Tātakā’s Forest)
पुरा वृत्रवधे राम मलेन समभिप्लुतम्।क्षुधा चैव सहस्राक्षं ब्रह्महत्या समाविशत्।।1.24.18।।
purā vṛtra-vadhe rāma malena samabhiplutam | kṣudhā caiva sahasrākṣaṃ brahmahatyā samāviśat || 1.24.18 ||
“In ancient times, O Rāma, after the slaying of Vṛtra, the thousand-eyed Indra was seized by brahmahatyā—the sin of brahmin-slaying—and he was overwhelmed by impurity and hunger as well.”
O Rama, in ancient times after killing Vritrasura, Indra was overpowered by the sin of slaying a brahmin and was affected by impurity and hunger.
Even powerful beings are bound by moral law: actions carry consequences (karma), and violation of dharma leads to affliction that must be faced and resolved.
Viśvāmitra explains the past: after Vṛtra’s death, Indra is afflicted by brahmahatyā and related suffering, setting up the cause behind the region’s later condition.
Moral accountability—no status exempts one from the ethical order that governs conduct and its results.