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
О царь, когда великий герой Вритрасура увидел Индру, своего врага, убийцу своего брата, стоящего перед ним с молнией в руке и желающего сразиться, Вритрасура вспомнил, как жестоко Индра убил его брата. Думая о греховных деяниях Индры, он обезумел от горя и забвения. Саркастически смеясь, он произнес следующее.
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.