Shloka 53

Devanagari script

“देवराज इन्द्र शत्रुओंका दमन करनेके लिये गुप्तरूपसे निषधदेशमें गये और गिरिप्रस्थाश्रममें छिपे रहकर उन्होंने अपना कार्य सिद्ध किया

Transliteration

devarāja indraḥ śatrūṇāṃ damanaṃ kartum guptarūpeṇa niṣadhadeśaṃ gataḥ | giriprasthāśrame ca channaḥ san svam arthaṃ siddhavān |

Translation

Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Para someter a sus enemigos, Indra, rey de los dioses, fue disfrazado a la tierra de Niṣadha. Oculto en la ermita de Giriprastha, logró cumplir su propósito—mostrando que incluso el poder divino recurre al secreto y a la estrategia cuando la meta es contener a las fuerzas hostiles y no solo exhibir la fuerza.

Word by Word

देवराजःthe king of gods

इन्द्रःIndra

शत्रूणाम्of enemies

दमनायfor subduing

गुप्तरूपेणin a concealed form

निषधदेशम्to the Niṣadha region

गतःwent

चand

गिरिप्रस्थाश्रमेin the hermitage at Giriprastha

छन्नःhidden

रहन्staying/remaining

सःhe

स्वम्his own

कार्यम्task/purpose

सिद्धवान्accomplished/succeeded

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Indra

Niṣadha (deśa)

Giriprastha-āśrama

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Power aligned with dharma may act through restraint and discretion; secrecy and strategy can be ethically justified when used to curb harmful opposition rather than for vanity or cruelty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Indra, seeking to suppress enemies, travels incognito to Niṣadha and stays hidden at the Giriprastha hermitage until he completes his objective.