Shloka 34
Vṛtra’s Cosmic Threat, Viṣṇu’s Upāya, and the Conditional Vulnerability
Udyoga-parva 10
वृत्रासुरके छिद्रकी (उसे मारनेके अवसरकी) खोज करते हुए देवराज इन्द्र सदा उद्विग्न रहते थे। एक दिन उन्होंने समुद्रके तटपर उस महान् असुरको देखा ।।
saṃdhyākāla upāvṛtte muhūrte cātidāruṇe | tataḥ saṃcintya bhagavān varadānaṃ mahātmanaḥ ||
ਜਦੋਂ ਅਤਿ ਭਿਆਨਕ ਸੰਧਿਆ-ਕਾਲ ਦਾ ਮੁਹੂਰਤ ਆ ਪਹੁੰਚਿਆ, ਤਦ ਭਗਵਾਨ ਇੰਦਰ ਨੇ ਮਹਾਤਮਾ (ਵਿਸ਼ਨੂ) ਦੇ ਵਰਦਾਨ ਨੂੰ ਯਾਦ ਕਰਕੇ ਵਿਚਾਰ ਕੀਤਾ।
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how moral choices in conflict can hinge on technicalities and timing: Indra seeks to fulfill the letter of a divine boon (neither day nor night) to defeat a dangerous enemy, raising ethical tension between righteous protection and the use of deception.
Indra, searching for a way to kill Vṛtrāsura, sees a dreadful twilight moment and recalls Viṣṇu’s boon. He decides that this in-between time is the decisive opening to slay Vṛtra immediately, before the asura can cause further ruin.