Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 13
Vṛtrāsura Rebukes Indra; Heroic Combat and the Asura’s Pure Devotional Prayers
स तं नृपेन्द्राहवकाम्यया रिपुं वज्रायुधं भ्रातृहणं विलोक्य । स्मरंश्च तत्कर्म नृशंसमंह: शोकेन मोहेन हसञ्जगाद ॥ १३ ॥
sa taṁ nṛpendrāhava-kāmyayā ripuṁ vajrāyudhaṁ bhrātṛ-haṇaṁ vilokya smaraṁś ca tat-karma nṛ-śaṁsam aṁhaḥ śokena mohena hasañ jagāda
Ô Roi, quand le grand héros Vṛtrāsura vit Indra, son ennemi, le tueur de son frère, se tenant devant lui avec un foudre à la main, désirant combattre, Vṛtrāsura se souvint comment Indra avait cruellement tué son frère. Pensant aux activités pécheresses d'Indra, il devint fou de lamentation et d'oubli. Riant sarcastiquement, il parla ainsi.
FAQs
This verse highlights that Indra is remembered as “bhrātṛ-han” (slayer of his brother) and that such an act is viewed as nṛśaṁsa (cruel) and aṁhaḥ (sinful), becoming a point of moral and emotional confrontation in the battle narrative.
The verse indicates a bitter, grief-stricken laughter—Vṛtrāsura recalls Indra’s cruel deed and, being overwhelmed by sorrow and bewilderment, speaks with a kind of tragic irony rather than joy.
The shloka shows that unresolved cruelty and past harm resurface powerfully; in modern life it encourages honest accountability, repentance, and choosing dharmic action so that one’s past deeds do not become a source of grief and confusion later.