Shloka 1

Devanagari script

अपन हू< बछ। है २ >> नवमो<्ध्याय: इन्द्रके द्वारा त्रिेशिराका वध, वृत्रासुरकी उत्पत्ति, उसके साथ इन्द्रका युद्ध तथा देवताओंकी पराजय युधिछिर उवाच कथमिन्द्रेण राजेन्द्र सभार्येण महात्मना । दुःखं प्राप्तं परं घोरमेतदिच्छामि वेदितुम्‌,युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--राजेन्द्र! पत्नीसहित महामना इन्द्रने कैसे अत्यन्त भयंकर दुःख प्राप्त किया था? यह मैं जानना चाहता हूँ

Transliteration

Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: katham indreṇa rājendra sabhāryeṇa mahātmanā | duḥkhaṁ prāptaṁ paraṁ ghoraṁ etad icchāmi veditum ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai raja di antara para raja, bagaimana Indra yang berhati agung—bersama permaisurinya—sampai mengalami duka yang amat mengerikan? Inilah yang ingin aku ketahui.”

Word by Word

युधिष्ठिरःYudhishthira

उवाचsaid

कथम्how

इन्द्रेणby Indra

राजेन्द्रO king of kings

सभार्येणtogether with (his) wife

महात्मनाby the great-souled (one)

दुःखम्sorrow, suffering

प्राप्तम्obtained, met with

परम्extreme, very great

घोरम्terrible

एतत्this

इच्छामिI wish, I desire

वेदितुम्to know

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Indra

Indra’s consort (Śacī/Indrāṇī implied)

rājendra (addressed king; narrator/interlocutor)

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?

The verse models dhārmic inquiry: even the mightiest (Indra) can fall into grievous suffering, so one should seek causes and moral context rather than assume power guarantees righteousness or immunity from consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira asks the interlocutor (addressed as rājendra) to explain the episode in which Indra, along with his consort, came to experience extreme and terrifying distress—introducing the ensuing account (Triśiras’ slaying, Vṛtra’s rise, and the devas’ setback).