Shloka 22
इन्द्रस्य दुःखप्राप्तिः—त्रिशिरोवधः, वृत्रोत्पत्तिः, जृम्भिकाजननम्
Indra’s Distress: Slaying of Triśiras, Birth of Vṛtra, and the Origin of Yawning
शास्त्रबुद्ध्या विनिश्ित्य कृत्वा बुद्धि वधे दृढाम्ू
śāstrabuddhyā viniścitya kṛtvā buddhau vadhe dṛḍhām | śāstrayuktayā buddhyā triśirasaḥ vadhe dṛḍhaniścayaṃ kṛtvā krodhabharo 'bhavat | krodhāviṣṭa indro 'gnisamatejasvinaṃ ghoraṃ bhayaṅkaraṃ vajraṃ triśirasaṃ prati cikṣepa | tasya vajrasya gāḍhābhighātena triśirā mṛtvā pṛthivyāṃ papāta, vajrāhataṃ parvataśikharaṃ yathā bhūtale patitam ||
Tras examinar el asunto con razonamiento de śāstra y forjar una resolución inquebrantable de dar muerte a Triśiras, Indra—con la mente inflamada de ira—arrojó hacia él un vajra terrible y espantoso, fulgurante como el fuego. Herido por el golpe profundo de aquel rayo, Triśiras murió y cayó a la tierra, como una cumbre de montaña quebrada por el impacto del vajra y precipitada al suelo.
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse juxtaposes ‘scripture-based reasoning’ with the corrosive force of anger: even when one claims a righteous rationale, wrath can distort judgment and make violence ethically perilous. It warns that intention and mental state (krodha vs. calm discernment) critically shape the moral quality of an act.
Indra, having resolved to kill the three-headed being Triśiras, hurls his vajra (thunderbolt). The blow is fatal; Triśiras falls dead to the earth, compared to a mountain peak shattered and cast down by a thunderbolt.