Canto 6: Prescribed Duties for MankindChapter 13: King Indra Afflicted by Sinful Reaction

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 6.13.11

tayendraḥ smāsahat tāpaḿ

nirvṛtir nāmum āviśat

hrīmantaḿ vācyatāḿ prāptaḿ

sukhayanty api no guṇāḥ

SYNONYMS

tayā — by that action; indraḥ — King Indra; sma — indeed; asahat — suffered; tāpam — misery; nirvṛtiḥ — happiness; na — not; amum — him; āviśat — entered; hrīmantam — one who is shameful; vācyatām — ill fame; prāptam — obtaining; sukhayanti — give pleasure; api — although; no — not; guṇāḥ — good qualifications like possessing opulence.

TRANSLATION

Following the advice of the demigods, Indra killed Vṛtrāsura, and he suffered because of this sinful killing. Although the other demigods were happy, he could not derive happiness from the killing of Vṛtrāsura. Indra's other good qualities, such as tolerance and opulence, could not help him in his grief.

PURPORT

One cannot be happy by committing sinful acts, even if one is endowed with material opulence. Indra found this to be true. People began to blaspheme him, saying, "This person has killed a brāhmaṇa for the sake of enjoying heavenly material happiness." Therefore in spite of being King of heaven and enjoying material opulence, Indra was always unhappy because of the accusations of the populace.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness