Shloka 15
अध्याय २८१ — दानधर्मः, न्यायागतधनम्, ऋणत्रय-परिशोधनं च
Dāna ethics, lawful wealth, and settling obligations
कस्यचित् त्वथ कालस्य वृत्रहा कुरुनन्दन
kasyacit tv atha kālasya vṛtrahā kurunandana | kurunandana! us samaya vṛtravinaśaka indra loka-hitakī kāmanā se svarga kī ora jā rahe the | mahātejasvī indra ko yuddhabhūmi se nikalakara jāte dekh brahmahatyā kucha hī kāla meṃ unake pāsa jā pahuṃcī ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Setelah beberapa waktu, wahai kebanggaan Kuru, Indra—pembunuh Vṛtra—berangkat menuju surga, terdorong oleh hasrat menegakkan kesejahteraan dunia-dunia. Namun ketika Indra yang bercahaya itu terlihat meninggalkan medan perang, Brahmahatyā dengan cepat menyusul dan mengejarnya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even actions undertaken with a proclaimed public good (loka-hita) do not automatically erase grave moral transgression; the consequences of adharma—here personified as Brahmahatyā—pursue the agent until properly addressed through expiation, restraint, and restoration of dharma.
Indra, famed for killing Vṛtra, departs the battlefield toward heaven with the intention of benefiting the worlds. As he leaves, Brahmahatyā—the embodied consequence of brahmin-slaying—quickly approaches and overtakes him, signaling that his victory is shadowed by unresolved guilt and karmic burden.