Shloka 213
अध्याय २८१ — दानधर्मः, न्यायागतधनम्, ऋणत्रय-परिशोधनं च
Dāna ethics, lawful wealth, and settling obligations
ब्रह्मा स चिन्तयामास तदा भरतसत्तम । भरतसत्तम! एक श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मणके वधसे पैदा हुई ब्रह्महत्याने इन्द्रको पकड़ लिया है-- यह जानकर ब्रह्माजी विचार करने लगे
brahmā sa cintayāmāsa tadā bharatasattama | bharatasattama! eka-śreṣṭha-brāhmaṇa-vadhataḥ prādurbhūtā brahmahatyā indraṃ jagrāha—iti jñātvā brahmā cintayāmāsa ||
毗湿摩说道：“于是，婆罗多族中最卓越者啊，梵天开始沉思。得知由杀害一位卓越婆罗门而生的‘杀婆罗门之罪’已攫住因陀罗，梵天便转动心念，寻求前行之策。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grave ethical weight of brahmahatyā (killing a Brāhmaṇa) and the inevitability of moral consequence: even Indra is not beyond the reach of guilt. It also hints that wise governance—divine or human—requires reflective deliberation to address wrongdoing and restore order through appropriate expiation.
Bhishma narrates that Brahmā, upon realizing that the personified sin of brahmahatyā has seized Indra due to the killing of an eminent Brāhmaṇa, begins to contemplate what should be done—setting up the subsequent discussion on responsibility and atonement.