Shloka 34
कुमाराभिषेकप्रश्नः — Inquiry into Kumāra (Skanda) Investiture at Sarasvatī
नमुचिर्वासवाद् भीत: सूर्यरश्मिं समाविशत्,वधिष्याम्यसुरश्रेष्ठ सखे सत्येन ते शपे । पहलेकी बात है, नमुचि इन्द्रके भयसे डरकर सूर्यकी किरणोंमें समा गया था। तब इन्द्रने उसके साथ मित्रता कर ली और यह प्रतिज्ञा की 'असुरश्रेष्ठ! मैं न तो तुम्हें गीले हथियारसे मारूँगा न सूखेसे। न दिनमें मारँगा न रातमें। सखे! मैं सत्यकी सौगन्ध खाकर यह बात तुमसे कहता हूँ"
namucir vāsavād bhītaḥ sūryaraśmiṁ samāviśat | vadhiṣyāmy asuraśreṣṭha sakhe satyena te śape ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Namuci, terrified of Vāsava (Indra), entered into the rays of the sun. Then Indra, having made friendship with him, swore an oath in the name of truth: “O best of Asuras, my friend, I will not kill you with a wet weapon nor with a dry one; not by day nor by night.” The episode highlights how a pledge framed in ethical language can be used to create a seeming guarantee of safety, setting the stage for later moral ambiguity about how vows are kept in letter versus spirit.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical tension between the sanctity of an oath (satya) and the possibility of manipulating its wording. It invites reflection on whether righteousness lies in merely keeping the literal terms of a vow or in honoring its intended moral spirit.
Namuci, fearing Indra, hides by merging into the sun’s rays. Indra then befriends him and swears a protective-sounding promise—he will not kill Namuci with wet or dry weapons, nor in day or night—creating an apparent safeguard that later becomes a setup for a loophole-based killing.