Shloka 18
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 13: Śacī’s Delay, Deva-Counsel, and Indra’s Purification
तत्राश्वमेध: सुमहान् महेन्द्रस्य महात्मन: । बवृते पावनार्थ वै ब्रह्म॒ह॒त्यापहो नूप,नरेश्वर! वहाँ महात्मा महेन्द्रकी शुद्धिके लिये एक महान् अश्वमेध-यज्ञका अनुष्ठान हुआ, जो ब्रह्महत्याको दूर करनेवाला था
tatrāśvamedhaḥ sumahān mahendrasya mahātmanaḥ | babhūva pāvanārthaṃ vai brahmahatyāpaho nṛpa naraśvara ||
നരേശ്വരാ! അവിടെ മഹാത്മാവായ മഹേന്ദ്രൻ (ഇന്ദ്രൻ) ശുദ്ധിയാർജ്ജിക്കുവാൻ അതിമഹത്തായ അശ്വമേധയജ്ഞം നടന്നു; അത് ബ്രഹ്മഹത്യയുടെ പാപം അകറ്റുന്നതായി പ്രസിദ്ധം.
नहुष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical-ritual principle central to dharma literature: grave wrongdoing (here, brahmahatyā) demands purification through prescribed expiatory means. Even a powerful deity-king like Indra is portrayed as subject to moral consequence and the need for atonement, underscoring accountability and the restorative role of Vedic rites.
Nahusha recounts that a grand Aśvamedha sacrifice was conducted for Mahendra (Indra) specifically to purify him and to dispel the stain of brahmahatyā. The statement situates a past event—an expiatory royal rite—within Nahusha’s broader narration to a king addressed as ‘nṛpa/naraśvara’.