Shloka 3
Indra’s Brahma-hatyā, Flight from Sin, and Purification by Aśvamedha
श्रीराजोवाच इन्द्रस्यानिर्वृतेर्हेतुं श्रोतुमिच्छामि भो मुने । येनासन् सुखिनो देवा हरेर्दु:खं कुतोऽभवत् ॥ ३ ॥
śrī-rājovāca indrasyānirvṛter hetuṁ śrotum icchāmi bho mune yenāsan sukhino devā harer duḥkhaṁ kuto ’bhavat
ஸ்ரீ ராஜா கூறினார்—ஓ முனிவரே, இந்திரனின் மனஅமைதியின்மைக்குக் காரணம் கேட்க விரும்புகிறேன். வ்ருத்ராசுரனை வதைத்தபோது தேவர்கள் அனைவரும் மகிழ்ந்தனர்; அப்படியிருக்க இந்திரனுக்கு துயரம் ஏன்?
This, of course, is a very intelligent question. When a demon is killed, certainly all the demigods are happy. In this case, however, when all the demigods were happy because of Vṛtrāsura’s having been killed, Indra was unhappy. Why? It may be suggested that Indra was unhappy because he knew that he had killed a great devotee and brāhmaṇa. Vṛtrāsura outwardly appeared to be a demon, but inwardly he was a great devotee and therefore a great brāhmaṇa.
FAQs
This verse frames the inquiry: Indra’s inner unrest has a specific cause tied to events that made the demigods happy, and Parīkṣit requests that cause be explained by the sage.
Hearing that Indra was troubled, Parīkṣit seeks the narrative and moral reason behind it—especially how the devas benefited while Hari is spoken of in connection with distress—so Śukadeva can clarify the deeper dharma and bhakti principles.
Even when outcomes seem favorable externally, one should examine the ethical and spiritual causes behind them; peace comes from dharma and devotion, not merely from “winning” or achieving success.