विचक्ष्य दुष्प्रेक्ष्यमसह्यरंहसम् ।
निवारयामासुरहो महामते
न युज्यतेऽत्रान्यवधः प्रचोदितात् ॥२७॥
tam á¹›tvijaḥ Å›akra-vadhÄbhisandhitaá¹
vicaká¹£ya duá¹£preká¹£yam asahya-raá¹hasam
nivÄrayÄm Äsur aho mahÄ-mate
na yujyate 'trÄnya-vadhaḥ pracoditÄt
tam - King Pá¹›thu; á¹›tvijaḥ - the priests; Å›akra-vadha - killing the King of heaven; abhisandhitam - thus preparing himself; vicaká¹£ya - having observed; duá¹£preká¹£yam - terrible to look at; asahya - unbearable; raá¹hasam - whose velocity; nivÄrayÄm Äsuḥ - they forbade; aho - oh; mahÄ-mate - O great soul; na - not; yujyate - is worthy for you; atra - in this sacrificial arena; anya - others; vadhaḥ - killing; pracoditÄt - from being so directed in the scriptures.
When the priests and all the others saw MahÄrÄja Pá¹›thu very angry and prepared to kill Indra, they requested him: O great soul, do not kill him, for only sacrificial animals can be killed in a sacrifice. Such are the directions given by Å›Ästra.
Animal killing is intended for different purposes: it tests the proper pronunciation of Vedic mantras, and an animal being put into the sacrificial fire should come out with a new life. No one should ever be killed in a sacrifice meant for the satisfaction of Lord Viṣṇu. How then could Indra be killed when he is actually worshiped in the yajña and accepted as part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Therefore the priests requested King Pṛthu not to kill him.
