Shloka 40
Bhaṅgāśvanopākhyāna — On comparative affection in strī–puruṣa union (भङ्गाश्वनोपाख्यानम्)
इन्द्रद्ध्रिन यजता मामनाहूय घिष्ठितम् । इन्द्रोडहमस्मि दुर्बुद्धे वैरं ते पातितं मया
indraddhriṇa yajatā māṁ anāhūya gṛhītam | indro ’ham asmi durbuddhe vairaṁ te pātitaṁ mayā ||
भीष्म बोले— इन्द्र ने कहा— ‘तुमने इन्द्र-सम्बन्धी यज्ञ किया और मेरा आवाहन किए बिना ही उसे पूर्ण कर दिया। खोटी बुद्धिवाली! मैं ही इन्द्र हूँ; मैंने ही तुम्हारे वैर का प्रतिकार किया है।’
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical idea that hostility (vaira) invites consequences: even when one performs a sacred rite, motives and relationships—such as enmity and exclusion—can lead to retributive outcomes, framed here as divine agency.
Bhishma reports a speech in which a figure identifies himself as Indra and confronts a woman who completed an Indra-related sacrifice without properly invoking him, declaring that he has exacted vengeance for the enmity involved.