प्रतर्दनो ह दैवोदासिरिन्द्रस्य प्रियं धामोपजगाम ।युद्धेन च पौरुषेण च तं हेन्द्र उवाच ।प्रतर्दन वरं ते ददानीति स होवाच प्रतर्दनः ।त्वमेव मे वृणीष्व यं त्वं मनुष्याय हिततमं मन्यस इति तं हेन्द्र उवाच ।न वै वरोऽवरस्मै वृणीते त्वमेव वृणीष्वेत्येवमरो वै किल म इति होवाच प्रतर्दनोऽथो खल्विन्द्रः सत्यादेव नेयाय ।सत्यं हीन्द्रः स होवाच ।मामेव विजानीह्येतदेवाहं मनुष्याय हिततमं मन्ये ।यन्मां विजानीयात् ।त्रिशीर्षाणं त्वाष्ट्रमहनमवाङ्मुखान्यतीन्सालावृकेभ्यः प्रायच्छं बह्वीः सन्धा अतिक्रम्य दिवि प्रह्लादीयानतृणमहमन्तरिक्षे पौलोमान्पृथिव्यां कालखाञ्जान् ।तस्य मे तत्र न लोम च मामीयते ।स यो मां विजानीयान्नास्य केन च कर्मणा लोको मीयते ।न मातृवधेन न पितृवधेन न स्तेयेन न भ्रूणहत्यया नास्य पापं च न चकृषो मुखान्नीलं वेत्तीति ॥ १ ॥
In plain words
Pratardana, son of Divodāsa, came to the beloved abode of Indra by battle and by manly strength. Indra said to him, "Pratardana, let me grant thee a boon." Pratardana said, "Choose thou for me that which thou thinkest most beneficial for a man." Indra said to him, "A superior does not choose for an inferior; do thou choose." "Then it is no boon for me," said Pratardana. But Indra did not swerve from the truth, for Indra is truth. He said, "Know me only. This I hold to be most beneficial for a man, that he should know me. I slew the three-headed son of Tvaṣṭṛ; I gave the ascetics to the wolves; breaking many a compact, I struck down the people of Prahlāda in heaven, the Paulomas in the middle region, the Kālakhañjas on the earth; and in all that not a hair of mine was harmed. So he who knows me — his world is not harmed by any deed of his: not by the killing of his mother, not by the killing of his father, not by theft, not by the slaying of an unborn child; nor does the colour leave his face for any evil he has done."