Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 13
Vṛtrāsura Rebukes Indra; Heroic Combat and the Asura’s Pure Devotional Prayers
स तं नृपेन्द्राहवकाम्यया रिपुं वज्रायुधं भ्रातृहणं विलोक्य । स्मरंश्च तत्कर्म नृशंसमंह: शोकेन मोहेन हसञ्जगाद ॥ १३ ॥
sa taṁ nṛpendrāhava-kāmyayā ripuṁ vajrāyudhaṁ bhrātṛ-haṇaṁ vilokya smaraṁś ca tat-karma nṛ-śaṁsam aṁhaḥ śokena mohena hasañ jagāda
王よ、大英雄ヴリトラアスラは、兄の殺し屋である敵インドラが、手に稲妻を持って戦おうと目の前に立っているのを見たとき、インドラがいかに残酷に兄を殺したかを思い出しました。インドラの罪深い行いを思い、彼は悲嘆と忘我で狂乱しました。皮肉な笑みを浮かべ、彼は次のように語りました。
FAQs
This verse highlights that Indra is remembered as “bhrātṛ-han” (slayer of his brother) and that such an act is viewed as nṛśaṁsa (cruel) and aṁhaḥ (sinful), becoming a point of moral and emotional confrontation in the battle narrative.
The verse indicates a bitter, grief-stricken laughter—Vṛtrāsura recalls Indra’s cruel deed and, being overwhelmed by sorrow and bewilderment, speaks with a kind of tragic irony rather than joy.
The shloka shows that unresolved cruelty and past harm resurface powerfully; in modern life it encourages honest accountability, repentance, and choosing dharmic action so that one’s past deeds do not become a source of grief and confusion later.