Devanagari
एवं तस्या व्रतस्थाया व्रतच्छिद्रं हरिर्नृप ।
प्रेप्सु: पर्यचरज्जिह्मो मृगहेव मृगाकृति: ॥ ५८ ॥
Verse text
evaṁ tasyā vrata-sthāyā
vrata-cchidraṁ harir nṛpa
prepsuḥ paryacaraj jihmo
mṛga-heva mṛgākṛtiḥ
Synonyms
evam
—
thus
;
tasyāḥ
—
of her
;
vrata
—
sthāyāḥ — who was faithfully discharging her vow
;
vrata
—
chidram — a fault in the execution of the vow
;
hariḥ
—
Indra
;
nṛpa
—
O King
;
prepsuḥ
—
desiring to find
;
paryacarat
—
served
;
jihmaḥ
—
deceitful
;
mṛga
—
hā — a hunter
;
iva
—
like
;
mṛga
—
ākṛtiḥ — in the form of a deer .
Translation
O King Parīkṣit, 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.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
O King Parīkṣit! Just as a hunter becomes like a deer to kill the deer, so Indra served Diti with deceit, in order to find a fault in the vow of Diti who was fixed in her vow.
Indra desired to find some fault in her vow. This however was his misconception. Since whatever faults exist are nullified by remembering and glorifying Viṣṇu, her vow should also become faultless, even if there was a fault. It is said:
yasya smṛtyā ca nāmoktyā tapo-yajṣa-kriyādīṣu
nūnaṁ sampūrṇatām eti sadyo vande tam acyutam
I offer my obeisances unto the infallible Lord, because simply by either remembering him or chanting his name all penances, sacrifices or fruitive activities become perfect. Skanda Purāṇa
mantratas tantrataś chidraṁ deśa-kālārha-vastutaḥ
sarvaṁ karoti niśchidram anusaṅkīrtanaṁ tava
There may be discrepancies in pronouncing the mantras and observing the regulative principles, because of discrepancies in regard to time, place, person and paraphernalia. But when your name is chanted, everything becomes faultless. SB 8.23.16
It will be said later that Indra would not find any fault in her performance of vows. Mahāpuruṣa-pūjāyāḥ siddhiḥ kāpy ānuṣaṅgiṇī: liberation is a secondary result of worship of the Lord. (SB 6.18.73) Jihmaḥ means deception. The hunter disguises himself as a deer to cheat the deer. Similarly Indra disguised himself as a devoted servant to cheat Diti.