śrī-śukaḥ uvāca - Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; ṛṣayaḥ - the great sages; tat - that; upākarṇya - hearing; mahā-indram - unto King Indra; idam - this; abruvan - spoke; yājayiṣyāmaḥ - we shall perform a great sacrifice; bhadram - good fortune; te - unto you; hayamedhena - by the horse sacrifice; mā sma bhaiḥ - do not be afraid.

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Hearing this, the great sages replied to King Indra, “O King of heaven, all good fortune unto you. Do not fear. We shall perform an aśvamedha sacrifice to release you from any sin you may accrue by killing the brāhmaṇa.”