Text 11
tayendraḥ smāsahat tāpaṁ
nirvṛtir nāmum āviśat
hrīmantaṁ vācyatāṁ prāptaṁ
sukhayanty api no guṇāḥ
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.
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.
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.