वैशंपायन उवाच
तच् छ्रुत्वा वृत्रहा तेभ्यः स्वयम् एवान्ववेक्ष्य च ॥
खाण्डवस्य विमोक्षार्थं प्रययौ हरिवाहनः ॥
महता मेघजालेन नानारूपेण वज्रभृत् ॥
आकाशं समवस्तीर्य प्रववर्ष सुरेश्वरः ॥
ततो ऽक्षमात्रा विसृजन् धाराः शतसहस्रशः ॥
अभ्यवर्षत् सहस्राक्षः पावकं खाण्डवं प्रति ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
tac chrutvā vṛtrahā tebhyaḥ svayam evānvavekṣya ca ||
khāṇḍavasya vimokṣārthaṃ prayayau harivāhanaḥ ||
mahatā meghajālena nānārūpeṇa vajrabhṛt ||
ākāśaṃ samavastīrya pravavarṣa sureśvaraḥ ||
tato 'kṣamātrā visṛjan dhārāḥ śatasahasraśaḥ ||
abhyavarṣat sahasrākṣaḥ pāvakaṃ khāṇḍavaṃ prati ||
"Hearing that from them, the slayer of Vritra, and having himself surveyed everything, Indra, borne by his tawny steeds, set out for the deliverance of Khandava; with a great net of clouds, manifold in form, the wielder of the thunderbolt, having spread over the sky, poured down rain, the lord of the gods; then, releasing streams thick as an axle, by the hundreds of thousands, the thousand-eyed one poured down rain upon the fire, upon Khandava."
030e49429618 · published Jul 12, 2026, 6:11:48 PM UTC
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Here Indra hastens to save the forest of his friend. It is telling that the king of the gods himself comes forth and unleashes torrents of rain: attachment to Takshaka moves him to its defense. And the gods act out of affection and the duty of protection. Thus scripture reveals Indra's intervention, and a contest is coming between heaven's water and a fire upheld by heroes.