The Greatness of Puṣkara: Tripuṣkara Pilgrimage, Sacred Geography, and the Doctrine of Self-Restraint
ततो महेंद्रः परमाभितप्तः श्रुत्वा रवं घोरतरं महांतम् । भयेन मग्नस्त्वरितं मुमोच वज्रं महान्तं खलु तस्य शीर्षे
tato maheṃdraḥ paramābhitaptaḥ śrutvā ravaṃ ghorataraṃ mahāṃtam | bhayena magnastvaritaṃ mumoca vajraṃ mahāntaṃ khalu tasya śīrṣe
ແລ້ວມະເຫນທຣະ (ອິນທຣາ) ຜູ້ຮ້ອນຮົນຢ່າງຍິ່ງ ເມື່ອໄດ້ຍິນສຽງຄຳຮາມອັນນ່າຢ້ານຢ່າງຫຼວງ ກໍຈົມໃນຄວາມຢ້ານ ແລະຮີບຂວ້າງວັຊຣະອັນໃຫຍ່ລົງໃສ່ສີສະຂອງມັນ.
Narrator (third-person epic narration; specific dialogue-speaker not explicit in this verse alone)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: celestial_realm
Sandhi Resolution Notes: महेंद्रः (महा+इन्द्रः); मग्नः+त्वरितम्→मग्नस्त्वरितम् (विसर्ग→स्).
Indra (Mahendra), terrified by a dreadful roar, reacts impulsively and throws his thunderbolt (vajra) at the opponent’s head.
“Vajra” refers to Indra’s thunderbolt weapon, symbolizing divine force and royal authority, often used in Purāṇic narratives to subdue powerful beings.
The verse highlights how fear can drive rash action; it implicitly warns that panic may lead even a powerful ruler to respond violently rather than wisely.