Shloka 373
कुमाराभिषेकप्रश्नः — Inquiry into Kumāra (Skanda) Investiture at Sarasvatī
भो भो मित्रघ्न पापेति ब्रुवाणं शक्रमन्तिकात् । नमुचिका वह कटा हुआ मस्तक इन्द्रके पीछे लग गया। वह उनके पास जाकर बारंबार कहने लगा, 'ओ मित्रघाती पापात्मा इन्द्र! तू कहाँ जाता है?”
bho bho mitraghna pāpeti bruvāṇaṃ śakram antikāt | namucikā vah kaṭā huā mastaka indrasya pṛṣṭhataḥ lagnaḥ | sa teṣām upagamya punaḥ punaḥ uvāca—“he mitraghātin pāpātman indra! tvaṃ kva gacchasi?”
Vaiśampāyana said: From close by, the severed head of Namuci followed Indra and kept crying, “Hey, hey—O slayer of a friend, O sinner!” Drawing near to him again and again, it repeatedly taunted, “O Indra, friend-killer and wicked-souled—where are you going?” The scene underscores the moral weight of betrayal: even a victorious act can be haunted by the charge of violating trust and righteousness.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when power or victory is achieved, actions that violate trust and moral duty (dharma)—such as harming one who is regarded as a friend—carry an ethical stain that returns as accusation and inner/outer retribution.
Indra is being pursued and verbally taunted by Namuci’s severed head, which repeatedly calls him “mitraghna” (friend-slayer) and “pāpa” (sinner), confronting him with the moral charge behind the act that led to Namuci’s death.