Shloka 37
इन्द्रस्य दुःखप्राप्तिः—त्रिशिरोवधः, वृत्रोत्पत्तिः, जृम्भिकाजननम्
Indra’s Distress: Slaying of Triśiras, Birth of Vṛtra, and the Origin of Yawning
बढ़ई! यद्यपि यह मारा गया है, तो भी अभीतक मुझे इसका भय बना हुआ है। तू शीघ्र इसके मस्तकोंके टुकड़े-टुकड़े कर दे। मैं तेरे ऊपर अनुग्रह करूँगा ।।
śakra uvāca | takṣan! yady api ayaṁ hataḥ, tathāpi adyāpi me ’sya bhayaṁ vartate | tvaṁ śīghram asya mastakānāṁ ṭukḍe-ṭukḍe kuru | ahaṁ te ’nugrahaṁ kariṣyāmi || śiraḥ paśos te dāsyanti bhāgaṁ yajñeṣu mānavāḥ | eṣa te ’nugrahas takṣan kṣipraṁ kuru mama priyam ||
Śakra dijo: «Carpintero, aunque éste ha sido abatido, todavía le temo incluso ahora. Corta pronto sus cabezas en pedazos; te mostraré mi favor. En los sacrificios oscuros, centrados en la violencia, que realizan los hombres, te darán la cabeza del animal sacrificado como tu parte. Éste es mi don para ti, carpintero; ahora haz deprisa lo que me complace.»
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear and self-interest can drive a powerful figure to demand further violence even after an enemy is already slain, and how rewards can be used to incentivize ethically troubling acts—especially when linked to ritual practice described here as tamasic and violence-centered.
Indra (Śakra), still afraid despite the opponent’s death, orders a carpenter (Takṣan) to mutilate the slain being’s heads. As inducement, he promises a boon: in certain sacrifices, humans will grant the carpenter the animal’s head as his allotted portion.