Once Pratardana,[1] the son of Divodasa, arrived at the favorite residence of Indra[2] as a result of war and valor. And Indra said to him: “Choose a present, Pratardana.” But Pratardana replied: “Why don’t you yourself choose something for me that you consider most beneficial to a human being.“ Indra retorted: “Surely, a superior does not choose for someone who is inferior to him. You had better choose yourself.” And Pratardana replied: “Well then, I’ll do without a present.” Indra, however, did not deviate from the truth, for Indra is the truth. And he told Pratardana:

“Perceive just me. What I consider to be most beneficial to a human being is the he should perceive me. I killed the three-headed son of Tvashtri,[3] as well as the Arunmukhas. I handed over the Yatis to the hyenas. Breaking numerous agreements, I smashed the Prahladiyas in the sky, the Paulomas in the intermediate region, and the Kalakanjas on the earth. And I did not lose even a hair of my body in the process.

“When a man perceives me, nothing that he does—whether it is stealing, or performing an abortion, or killing his own father or mother—will ever make him lose a single hair of his body. And when he has committed a sin, his face does not lose its color.”

From the Kaushitaki Upanishad, Upanishads, translated by Patrick Olivelle, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996, pp. 215-216.

Footnotes

1. Pratardana’s patronymic connects him to the famous Rigveda king Sudas, the son or descendent of Divodasa. Praterdana is also mentioned as a king in other vedic texts. (Glossary, op. cit., p. 412)

2. Indra is the most famous of the vedic gods. He is called the king of the gods. He is powerful and loves to drink Soma. His claim to fame is his victory over Vritra, a combat that is given cosmogonic significance. In the Vedas, Indra is closely associated with rain, and prominence is given to his weapon, the Vajra, conceived as the thunderbolt. Indra comes to be identified with the ultimate self. (Glossary, op. cit., pp. 408-409)

3. Tvashtri is described as a skilled workman, who is the father of Indra. He is the guardian of Soma, and thus attracts the hostility of his son, who wants to take possession of the sacrificial drink. Soma is often called the “honey of Tvashtri.” (Glossary, op. cit., p. 414)