Shloka 42
Atithi’s Direction to the Nāga-sage Padma at Naimiṣa (अतिथ्युपदेशः—नैमिषे पद्मनागोपाख्यानप्रस्तावः)
तस्यां द्वैधीभूतायां ब्रह्मवध्यायां भयादिन्द्रो देवराज्यं पर्यत्यजदप्सु सम्भवां च शीतलां मानससरोगतां नलिनीं प्रतिपेदे तत्र चैश्वर्ययोगादणुमात्रो भूत्वा बिसग्रन्थिं प्रविवेश
tasyāṃ dvaidhībhūtāyāṃ brahmavadhyāyāṃ bhayād indro devarājyaṃ paryatyajad apsu sambhavāṃ ca śītalāṃ mānasasarogatāṃ nalinīṃ pratipede tatra caiśvaryayogād aṇumātro bhūtvā bisagranthiṃ praviveśa
Quand l’effroyable fardeau du brahma-hatyā, le meurtre d’un brahmane, se fut scindé en deux, Indra—saisi de peur—abandonna sa souveraineté sur les dieux. Il chercha refuge dans un frais étang de lotus né des eaux, au lac Mānasa. Là, par la puissance de sa maîtrise yogique souveraine, il devint aussi infime qu’un atome et entra dans le nœud d’une tige de lotus, s’y dissimulant.
तास्त्वाष्ट उवाच क्व गमिष्यथास्यतां तावन्मया सह श्रेयो भविष्यन्तीति
Educational Q&A
Even the highest authority is not beyond moral consequence: the taint of brahma-slaughter brings fear, loss of sovereignty, and the need for concealment or expiation. The passage underscores dharma’s supremacy over power and the inevitability of ethical accountability.
Indra, frightened by the burden of brahma-slaughter that has become twofold, abandons the throne of the gods and flees to a cool lotus-pond at Lake Mānasa. Using yogic mastery, he shrinks to atomic size and hides inside the knot of a lotus-stalk.