Indra Redeemed from Sin

Verse 1 (bhagavata.6.13.1)

श्रीशुक उवाच वृत्रे हते त्रयो लोका विना शक्रेण भूरिद । सपाला ह्यभवन् सद्यो विज्वरा निर्वृतेन्द्रियाः ॥ १ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca vṛtre hate trayo lokā vinā śakreṇa bhūrida sapālā hy abhavan sadyo vijvarā nirvṛtendriyāḥ

Shri Shukadeva said: O great giver of charity, O King, when Vritrasura was slain, all three worlds together with their guardian deities at once became free from fear, their senses at peace — all except Indra.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.6.13.2)

देवर्षिपितृभूतानि दैत्या देवानुगाः स्वयम् । प्रतिजग्मुः स्वधिष्ण्यानि ब्रह्मेशेन्द्रादयस्ततः ॥ २ ॥

devarṣi-pitṛ-bhūtāni daityā devānugāḥ svayam pratijagmuḥ sva-dhiṣṇyāni brahmeśendrādayas tataḥ

The celestial sages, the ancestral spirits, the elemental beings, the daityas, and the attendant hosts of the gods each returned to their own abodes of their own accord. Then Brahma, Shiva, Indra, and the rest also departed from that place.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.6.13.3)

श्रीराजोवाच इन्द्रस्यानिर्वृतेर्हेतुं श्रोतुमिच्छामि भो मुने । येनासन् सुखिनो देवा हरेर्दुःखं कुतोऽभवत् ॥ ३ ॥

śrī-rājovāca indrasyānirvṛter hetuṁ śrotum icchāmi bho mune yenāsan sukhino devā harer duḥkhaṁ kuto ’bhavat

The king said: O sage, I wish to hear the cause of Indra's unrest. By the very deed that brought happiness to all the gods, how did sorrow come upon Indra himself?

Verse 4 (bhagavata.6.13.4)

श्रीशुक उवाच वृत्रविक्रमसंविग्नाः सर्वे देवाः सहर्षिभिः । तद्वधायार्थयन्निन्द्रं नैच्छद् भीतो बृहद्वधात् ॥ ४ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca vṛtra-vikrama-saṁvignāḥ sarve devāḥ saharṣibhiḥ tad-vadhāyārthayann indraṁ naicchad bhīto bṛhad-vadhāt

Shri Shukadeva said: Terrified by Vritrasura's might, all the gods together with the sages entreated Indra to slay him. Indra, however, was unwilling, fearing the killing of so great a being.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.6.13.5)

इन्द्र उवाच स्त्रीभूद्रुमजलैरेनो विश्वरूपवधोद्भवम् । विभक्तमनुगृह्णद्भिर्वृत्रहत्यां क्व मार्ज्म्यहम् ॥ ५ ॥

indra uvāca strī-bhū-druma-jalair eno viśvarūpa-vadhodbhavam vibhaktam anugṛhṇadbhir vṛtra-hatyāṁ kva mārjmy aham

Indra said: The sin arising from the killing of Vishvarupa was, out of their grace, divided among women, the earth, trees, and water, each accepting a share. But this sin of killing Vritra — where and how shall I wash it away?

Verse 6 (bhagavata.6.13.6)

श्रीशुक उवाच ऋषयस्तदुपाकर्ण्य महेन्द्रमिदमब्रुवन् । याजयिष्याम भद्रं ते हयमेधेन मा स्म भैः ॥ ६ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca ṛṣayas tad upākarṇya mahendram idam abruvan yājayiṣyāma bhadraṁ te hayamedhena mā sma bhaiḥ

Shri Shukadeva said: Hearing this, the sages said to great Indra: "Good fortune to you — we shall have you perform a horse-sacrifice on your behalf. Do not be afraid."

Verse 7 (bhagavata.6.13.7)

हयमेधेन पुरुषं परमात्मानमीश्वरम् । इष्ट्वा नारायणं देवं मोक्ष्यसेऽपि जगद्वधात् ॥ ७ ॥

hayamedhena puruṣaṁ paramātmānam īśvaram iṣṭvā nārāyaṇaṁ devaṁ mokṣyase ’pi jagad-vadhāt

By worshiping, through the horse-sacrifice, the Supreme Person, the Paramatma, the Lord, the god Narayana, you shall be freed even from the sin of slaying the entire world — how much more so from this one.

Verse 8 (bhagavata.6.13.8)

ब्रह्महा पितृहा गोघ्नो मातृहाचार्यहाघवान् । श्वादः पुल्कसको वापि शुद्ध्येरन् यस्य कीर्तनात् ॥ ८ ॥

brahma-hā pitṛ-hā go-ghno mātṛ-hācārya-hāghavān śvādaḥ pulkasako vāpi śuddhyeran yasya kīrtanāt

Even one who has slain a brahmana, killed his father, killed a cow, killed his mother, or killed his teacher — laden with such grave sin — or one as low as a dog-eater or outcaste, becomes purified merely by chanting the name of that Lord,

Verse 9 (bhagavata.6.13.9)

तमश्वमेधेन महामखेन श्रद्धान्वितोऽस्माभिरनुष्ठितेन । हत्वापि सब्रह्मचराचरं त्वं न लिप्यसे किं खलनिग्रहेण ॥ ९ ॥

tam aśvamedhena mahā-makhena śraddhānvito ’smābhir anuṣṭhitena hatvāpi sabrahma-carācaraṁ tvaṁ na lipyase kiṁ khala-nigraheṇa

by worshiping him through this great horse-sacrifice, performed by us with faith, you would not be tainted even if you slew the whole moving and unmoving world together with its brahmanas — how much less, then, by subduing one wicked being like Vritra?

Verse 10 (bhagavata.6.13.10)

श्रीशुक उवाच एवं सञ्चोदितो विप्रैर्मरुत्वानहनद्रिपुम् । ब्रह्महत्या हते तस्मिन्नाससाद वृषाकपिम् ॥ १० ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca evaṁ sañcodito viprair marutvān ahanad ripum brahma-hatyā hate tasminn āsasāda vṛṣākapim

Shri Shukadeva said: Thus urged by the brahmanas, Indra slew his enemy. And when Vritra was slain, the personified sin of brahmana-slaying came upon Indra.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.6.13.11)

तयेन्द्रः स्मासहत्तापं निर्वृतिर्नामुमाविशत् । ह्रीमन्तं वाच्यतां प्राप्तं सुखयन्त्यपि नो गुणाः ॥ ११ ॥

tayendraḥ smāsahat tāpaṁ nirvṛtir nāmum āviśat hrīmantaṁ vācyatāṁ prāptaṁ sukhayanty api no guṇāḥ

Because of that sin, Indra endured torment, and peace did not come to him. Modest by nature, and now subjected to public blame, even his own good qualities could bring him no joy.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.6.13.12)

तां ददर्शानुधावन्तीं चाण्डालीमिव रूपिणीम् । जरया वेपमानाङ्गीं यक्ष्मग्रस्तामसृक्पटाम् ॥ १२ ॥

tāṁ dadarśānudhāvantīṁ cāṇḍālīm iva rūpiṇīm jarayā vepamānāṅgīṁ yakṣma-grastām asṛk-paṭām

He saw her — personified sin — chasing after him in the form of an outcaste woman, her limbs trembling with age, afflicted by consumption, her garments stained with blood.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.6.13.13)

विकीर्य पलितान् केशांस्तिष्ठ तिष्ठेति भाषिणीम् । मीनगन्ध्यसुगन्धेन कुर्वतीं मार्गदूषणम् ॥ १३ ॥

vikīrya palitān keśāṁs tiṣṭha tiṣṭheti bhāṣiṇīm mīna-gandhy-asu-gandhena kurvatīṁ mārga-dūṣaṇam

Her grey hair hung loose and disheveled; she cried out, "Stay! Stay!" — fouling the path with a rank, fish-like stench.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.6.13.14)

नभो गतो दिशः सर्वाः सहस्राक्षो विशाम्पते । प्रागुदीचीं दिशं तूर्णं प्रविष्टो नृप मानसम् ॥ १४ ॥

nabho gato diśaḥ sarvāḥ sahasrākṣo viśāmpate prāg-udīcīṁ diśaṁ tūrṇaṁ praviṣṭo nṛpa mānasam

O protector of the people, the thousand-eyed Indra fled into the sky, then wandered through every direction; at last, O King, he swiftly entered Lake Manasa in the northeast.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.6.13.15)

स आवसत्पुष्करनालतन्तू- नलब्धभोगो यदिहाग्निदूतः । वर्षाणि साहस्रमलक्षितोऽन्तः सञ्चिन्तयन् ब्रह्मवधाद्विमोक्षम् ॥ १५ ॥

sa āvasat puṣkara-nāla-tantūn alabdha-bhogo yad ihāgni-dūtaḥ varṣāṇi sāhasram alakṣito ’ntaḥ sañcintayan brahma-vadhād vimokṣam

He dwelt hidden within the fibers of a lotus stalk for a thousand years, unseen by anyone. Since Agni, the carrier of offerings, could not reach him there, he was deprived of his share, and remained absorbed in constant thought of release from the sin of killing a brahmana.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.6.13.16)

तावत्त्रिणाकं नहुषः शशास विद्यातपोयोगबलानुभावः । स सम्पदैश्वर्यमदान्धबुद्धि- र्नीतस्तिरश्चां गतिमिन्द्रपत्न्या ॥ १६ ॥

tāvat triṇākaṁ nahuṣaḥ śaśāsa vidyā-tapo-yoga-balānubhāvaḥ sa sampad-aiśvarya-madāndha-buddhir nītas tiraścāṁ gatim indra-patnyā

Meanwhile Nahusha, by the power of his learning, austerity, and mystic yoga, came to rule the three heavens. But his mind, blinded by the pride of his newfound opulence, led him to misconduct himself toward Indra's wife, and for this he was reduced to the condition of a beast.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.6.13.17)

ततो गतो ब्रह्मगिरोपहूत ऋतम्भरध्याननिवारिताघः । पापस्तु दिग्देवतया हतौजा- स्तं नाभ्यभूदवितं विष्णुपत्न्या ॥ १७ ॥

tato gato brahma-giropahūta ṛtambhara-dhyāna-nivāritāghaḥ pāpas tu digdevatayā hataujās taṁ nābhyabhūd avitaṁ viṣṇu-patnyā

Then, summoned by the word of the brahmanas, Indra departed from there, his sin already held at bay by his steadfast meditation on truth. That sin, its strength sapped by the presiding deity of the directions, could not overpower him, sheltered as he was by the goddess who is Vishnu's own consort.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.6.13.18)

तं च ब्रह्मर्षयोऽभ्येत्य हयमेधेन भारत । यथावद्दीक्षञ्चक्रुः पुरुषाराधनेन ह ॥ १८ ॥

taṁ ca brahmarṣayo ’bhyetya hayamedhena bhārata yathāvad dīkṣayāṁ cakruḥ puruṣārādhanena ha

Then, O descendant of Bharata, the great brahmana sages came to him and duly initiated him into the horse-sacrifice, meant for the worship of the Supreme Person.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.6.13.19)

अथेज्यमाने पुरुषे सर्वदेवमयात्मनि । अश्वमेधे महेन्द्रेण वितते ब्रह्मवादिभिः ॥ १९ ॥

athejyamāne puruṣe sarva-devamayātmani aśvamedhe mahendreṇa vitate brahma-vādibhiḥ

Then, as the Purusha — whose very self comprises all the gods — was worshiped in the horse-sacrifice performed by great Indra and conducted by the knowers of the Vedas,

Verse 20 (bhagavata.6.13.20)

स वै त्वाष्ट्रवधो भूयानपि पापचयो नृप । नीतस्तेनैव शून्याय नीहार इव भानुना ॥ २० ॥

sa vai tvāṣṭra-vadho bhūyān api pāpa-cayo nṛpa nītas tenaiva śūnyāya nīhāra iva bhānunā

that sin of slaying the son of Tvashta, though it had grown immense, O king, was by that very sacrifice reduced to nothing, just as mist vanishes before the sun.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.6.13.21)

स वाजिमेधेन यथोदितेन वितायमानेन मरीचिमिश्रैः । इष्ट्वाधियज्ञं पुरुषं पुराण- मिन्द्रो महानास विधूतपापः ॥ २१ ॥

sa vājimedhena yathoditena vitāyamānena marīci-miśraiḥ iṣṭvādhiyajñaṁ puruṣaṁ purāṇam indro mahān āsa vidhūta-pāpaḥ

By that horse-sacrifice, duly performed under the guidance of Marichi and the other sages, Indra worshiped the eternal Purusha who presides over all sacrifice, and thus, his sin washed away, he was restored to his great position as Indra.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.6.13.22)

इदं महाख्यानमशेषपाप्मनांप्रक्षालनं तीर्थपदानुकीर्तनम् । भक्त्युच्छ्रयं भक्तजनानुवर्णनंमहेन्द्रमोक्षं विजयं मरुत्वतः ॥ २२ ॥

idaṁ mahākhyānam aśeṣa-pāpmanāṁ prakṣālanaṁ tīrthapadānukīrtanam bhakty-ucchrayaṁ bhakta-janānuvarṇanaṁ mahendra-mokṣaṁ vijayaṁ marutvataḥ

This great narrative washes away all sins, glorifies the feet of the Lord who is himself the holy places, exalts devotion, describes the Lord's devotees, and tells of great Indra's liberation and his victory.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.6.13.23)

पठेयुराख्यानमिदं सदा बुधाःशृण्वन्त्यथो पर्वणि पर्वणीन्द्रियम् । धन्यं यशस्यं निखिलाघमोचनंरिपुञ्जयं स्वस्त्ययनं तथायुषम् ॥ २३ ॥

paṭheyur ākhyānam idaṁ sadā budhāḥ śṛṇvanty atho parvaṇi parvaṇīndriyam dhanyaṁ yaśasyaṁ nikhilāgha-mocanaṁ ripuñjayaṁ svasty-ayanaṁ tathāyuṣam

The wise should always recite this narrative, and hear it especially on every sacred occasion; it is auspicious, brings fame, frees one from all sin, grants victory over enemies, brings well-being, and grants long life.