एवं तस्या व्रतस्थाया व्रतच्छिद्रं हरिर्नृप । प्रेप्सु: पर्यचरज्जिह्मो मृगहेव मृगाकृति: ॥ ५८ ॥
evam tasya vrata-sthaya vrata-cchidram harir nrpa prepsuh paryacaraj jihmo mrga-heva mrgakrtih
- evam
- thus
- tasyah
- of her
- vrata-sthayah
- who was faithfully discharging her vow
- vrata-chidram
- a fault in the execution of the vow
- harih
- Indra
- nrpa
- O King
- prepsuh
- desiring to find
- paryacarat
- served
- jihmah
- deceitful
- mrga-ha
- a hunter
- iva
- like
- mrga-akrtih
- in the form of a deer.
O King Pariksit, as the hunter of a deer becomes like a deer by covering his body with deerskin and serving the deer, so Indra, although at heart the enemy of the sons of Diti, became outwardly friendly and served Diti in a faithful way. Indra’s purpose was to cheat Diti as soon as he could find some fault in the way she discharged the vows of the ritualistic ceremony. However, he wanted to be undetected, and therefore he served her very carefully.