Shloka 55
Gautama–Śakra Saṃvāda: Karma, Loka-bheda, and the Restoration of the Elephant
बुध्यामि त्वां वृत्रहणं शतक्रतुं व्यतिक्रमन्तं भुवनानि विश्वा । कच्चिन्न वाचा वृजिनं कदाचि- दकार्ष ते मनसो5भिषंगात्
buddhyāmi tvāṁ vṛtrahaṇaṁ śatakratuṁ vyatikramantaṁ bhuvanāni viśvā | kaccin na vācā vṛjinaṁ kadācid akāṛṣ te manaso’bhiṣaṅgāt ||
Ta nhận ra ngươi là Vṛtrahan—Indra bậc đã cử hành trăm lễ tế—đang dong ruổi quan sát khắp mọi cõi. Hãy nói cho ta biết: có khi nào, trong cơn tâm trí xao động, ta đã lỡ dùng lời nói mà phạm điều sai trái đối với ngươi chăng?
गौतम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical vigilance over speech: even when the mind is disturbed, one should fear causing harm through words and be ready to acknowledge and correct possible wrongdoing.
Gautama realizes that the person before him is not an ordinary king but Indra, the slayer of Vṛtra, who moves through the worlds. He anxiously asks whether, in a moment of mental agitation, he may have offended Indra through his speech.