Bhagavatapurana 6.10: atha daśamo'dhyāyaḥ

6.10.1

/0 śrībādarāyaṇiruvāca
indramevaṃ samādiśya bhagavān viśvabhāvanaḥ /
paśyatāmanimeṣāṇāṃ atraivāntardadhe hariḥ //

Śrī Bādarāyaṇi said: / Having thus instructed Indra, the Lord Hari, the creator of the universe, / disappeared right there before the eyes of the sleepless gods.

1. Sri Suka said:— The glorious Hari, protector of the Universe, thus instructed Indra, and while the gods were all witnessing, vanished from their sight at that very spot.

6.10.2

tathābhiyācito devairṛṣirātharvaṇo mahān /
modamāna uvācedaṃ prahasanniva bhārata //

Thus approached and begged by the gods, that great sage, the descendant of Atharvan, / spoke this with joy, as if smiling, O descendant of Bharata:

2. O Bharata! the great Rishi of Atharva race, solicited according to instructions, was rejoiced (at the request) and smilingly said (as follows):—

6.10.3

api vṛndārakā yūyaṃ na jānītha śarīriṇām /
saṃsthāyāṃ yastvabhidroho duḥsahaścetanāpahaḥ //

Do you gods not know / what severe, agonizing, consciousness-stealing pain occurs for embodied beings at death?

3. O gods, do you not realise what unbearable misery with loss of consciousness is caused at death to the embodied beings?

6.10.4

jijīviṣūṇāṃ jīvānāmātmā preṣṭha ihepsitaḥ /
ka utsaheta taṃ dātuṃ bhikṣamāṇāya viṣṇave //

To living beings wishing to live, the body is the dearest and most desired thing here. / Who would have the resolve to give it up, even to Viṣṇu himself who comes begging?

4. The body is the most beloved thing sought after in the world by all the Jeevas who have a desire to live on; who would make up his mind to give it away even to Vishnu, should He ask for it?

6.10.5

/0 śrīdevā ūcuḥ
kiṃ nu taddustyajaṃ brahman puṃsāṃ bhūtānukampinām /
bhavadvidhānāṃ mahatāṃ puṇyaślokeḍyakarmaṇām //

The gods said: / What indeed is difficult to abandon, O brāhmaṇa, for persons compassionate to living beings, / exalted souls like you, whose actions are praised by those of purifying renown?

5. The gods said:— What is it which is difficult to part with, O holy one, for those great men who like thee feel compassion for other beings and are eager to do deeds worthy of being sung by glorious souls?

6.10.6

nūnaṃ svārthaparo loko na veda parasaṅkaṭam /
yadi veda na yāceta neti nāha yadīśvaraḥ //

Surely, worldly people devoted to self-interest do not know the distress of others; / if they knew, they would not ask. Nor does a capable person say 'no' [to a petitioner].

6. Certainly people who are intent upon (gaining) their own purpose, do not realise the pain being suffered by others; if they know, they might not make the request. (But) if the person requested is able to grant it, he never says "no".

6.10.7

/0 śrīṛṣiruvāca
dharmaṃ vaḥ śrotukāmena yūyaṃ me pratyudāhṛtāḥ /
eṣa vaḥ priyamātmānaṃ tyajantaṃ santyajāmy aham //

The sage said: / Desiring to hear dharma from you, I made that reply to you. / Here I abandon for you this dear body, which is already abandoning me.

7. The Rishi said:— Eager to learn the truth of righteousness from you, you were refused (were given a refusal). Here am I to give away the body which is sure to leave me and which is desired by you (as useful).

6.10.8

yo 'dhruveṇātmanā nāthā na dharmaṃ na yaśaḥ pumān /
īheta bhūtadayayā sa śocyaḥ sthāvarairapi //

The man who, through this non-eternal body, O masters, does not seek / dharma and fame through compassion for beings, is to be pitied even by stationary creatures.

8. He who, O Lords, does not try to do righteousness or seek for glory through mercy to beings by means of the transient body, is fit to be pitied even by immobile creation.

6.10.9

etāvān avyayo dharmaḥ puṇyaślokairupāsitaḥ /
yo bhūtaśokaharṣābhyāmātmā śocati hṛṣyati //

This is the entire imperishable dharma practiced by those of purifying renown: / that a person grieves and rejoices through the grief and joy of all creatures.

9. This is the extent (definition) of undecaying righteousness sought after by men of hallowed name—that one is grieved, is sorry or glad at the grief or joy of other creatures.

6.10.10

aho dainyamaho kaṣṭaṃ pārakyaiḥ kṣaṇabhaṅguraiḥ /
yan nopakuryādasvārthairmartyaḥ svajñātivigrahaiḥ //

Alas, what wretchedness! Alas, what misery! that a mortal does not render aid to his own kin / with bodies that belong to others, are fragile every moment, and cannot serve their own interest!

10. Alas the poor sense! Alas the misery! of that mortal who does not help others with his wealth, kith and kin, his body, all of transient character and liable to become a prey to others.

6.10.11

/0 śrībādarāyaṇiruvāca
evaṃ kṛtavyavasito dadhyaṅṅ ātharvaṇastanum /
pare bhagavati brahmaṇy ātmānaṃ sannayan jahau //

Śrī Bādarāyaṇi said: / Having thus made his resolve, Dadhyañc, the descendant of Atharvan, abandoned his body, / unifying his self with the Supreme Lord, Brahman.

11. Sri Suka said:— Having thus made up his mind Dahyan of Atharva race joined his self to the perfect and glorious Brahman and cast off his body.

6.10.12

yatākṣāsumanobuddhistattvadṛg dhvastabandhanaḥ /
āsthitaḥ paramaṃ yogaṃ na dehaṃ bubudhe gatam //

With his senses, vital breath, mind, and intellect restrained, seeing the truth, with his bonds broken, / established in the supreme yoga, he did not even notice his body departing.

12. When he controlled his senses, his vital air, mind and thought, realised the truth and cut off the ties, and thus practised the highest yoga, he was not conscious of the body that fell off.

6.10.13

athendro vajramudyamya nirmitaṃ viśvakarmaṇā /
muneḥ śaktibhirutsikto bhagavattejasānvitaḥ //

Then Indra, taking up the thunderbolt fashioned by Viśvakarman, / empowered by the sage's strengths and imbued with the splendor of the Lord,

13. & 14. Then, armed with the Vajra forged by Viswakarman out of the bones of the Rishi, and thereby strengthened and also endowed with Lord Hari's power, surrounded.by all the hosts of the gods, and sung by the assemblies of sages, Indra shone riding on his excellent elephant, promising joy to the three worlds.

6.10.14

vṛto devagaṇaiḥ sarvairgajendropary aśobhata /
stūyamāno munigaṇaistrailokyaṃ harṣayanniva //

surrounded by all the hosts of gods, shone upon the lordly elephant [Airāvata], / being praised by the assemblies of sages, as if delighting the three worlds.

6.10.15

vṛtramabhyadravac chatrumasurānīkayūthapaiḥ /
paryastamojasā rājan kruddho rudra ivāntakam //

He rushed toward his enemy, Vṛtra, who was encircled by commanders of the asura armies, / with his power, O King, like the enraged Rudra rushing toward Death.

15. O King, Indra (enraged) in rage ran at Vrithra with great force to cut him who was surrounded by the leaders of the cohorts of Asuras like Rudra at Yama.

6.10.16

tataḥ surāṇāmasurai raṇaḥ paramadāruṇaḥ /
tretāmukhe narmadāyāmabhavat prathame yuge //

Then an exceedingly fierce battle between the gods and the asuras / took place on the bank of the Narmadā, at the beginning of the Tretā age, in the first yuga cycle.

16. Thereupon a most terrible battle raged on the banks of the Narmada between the gods and the Asuras in the beginning of Threta of the first four yugas.

6.10.17

rudrairvasubhirādityairaśvibhyāṃ pitṛvahnibhiḥ /
marudbhirṛbhubhiḥ sādhyairviśvedevairmarutpatim //

Together with the Rudras, the Vasus, the Ādityas, the two Aśvins, the Pitṛs, the Agnis, / the Maruts, the Ṛbhus, the Sādhyas, and the Viśvedevas, the lord of the Maruts [Indra],

17. & 18. On seeing Indra, the ruler of the Maruts, accompanied by Rudras, Vasus, Adityas, Aswins, Pitris, Agnis, Maruts,

Ribhus, Sadhyas and Viswedevas, and armed with Vajra and resplendent in his true glory, the Asuras headed by Vrithra, O king, were impatient (to strike him) in battle.

6.10.18

dṛṣṭvā vajradharaṃ śakraṃ rocamānaṃ svayā śriyā /
nāmṛṣyannasurā rājan mṛdhe vṛtrapuraḥsarāḥ //

holding the thunderbolt, Śakra, shining with his own splendor— / seeing him, the asuras headed by Vṛtra could not tolerate it in the battle, O King.

6.10.19

namuciḥ śambaro 'narvā dvimūrdhā ṛṣabho 'suraḥ /
hayagrīvaḥ śaṅkuśirā vipracittirayomukhaḥ //

Namuci, Śambara, Anarvan, Dvimūrdhan, Ṛṣabha, Asura, / Hayagrīva, Śaṅkuśiras, Vipracitti, Ayomukha,

19. Namuchi, Sambara, Anarvan, Dwimoordhan (the two-headed Rakshasa), Rishabha, Ambara, Hayagriva, Sankusiras, Viprachitti, Ayomukha.

6.10.20

pulomā vṛṣaparvā ca prahetirhetirutkalaḥ /
daiteyā dānavā yakṣā rakṣāṃsi ca sahasraśaḥ //

Puloman, Vṛṣaparvan, Praheti, Heti, Utkala, / Daiteyas, Dānavas, Yakṣas, and Rākṣasas by the thousands,

20. & 21. Puloman, Vrishaparwan, Praheti, Heti, Utkala, and other sons of Diti and Danu, Yakshas and Rakshas (rushed forward) in thousands; and Sumali, Mali and others furnished with gold coats-of-mail, offered resistance to the front of Indra’s army difficult to be approached even by Yama.

6.10.21

sumālimālipramukhāḥ kārtasvaraparicchadāḥ /
pratiṣidhyendrasenāgraṃ mṛtyorapi durāsadam //

led by Sumālin and Mālin, adorned with gold ornaments, / resisting the vanguard of Indra's army, which was unapproachable even for Death,

6.10.22

abhyardayannasambhrāntāḥ siṃhanādena durmadāḥ /
gadābhiḥ parighairbāṇaiḥ prāsamudgaratomaraiḥ //

wild with fury, undaunted, with roaring like lions, attacked [them] / with clubs, iron bludgeons, arrows, darts, mallets, and javelins,

22. Highly proud and quite unbewildered they roared like lions and struck the gods with maces, iron rods (bolts), arrows, prasas, Mudgaras, Tomaras.

6.10.23

śūlaiḥ paraśvadhaiḥ khaḍgaiḥ śataghnībhirbhuśuṇḍibhiḥ /
sarvato 'vākiran śastrairastraiśca vibudharṣabhān //

with tridents, battle-axes, swords, hundred-killers, and cannons, / from all sides they showered weapons and missiles upon the foremost of the gods.

23. Soolas (tridents), axes, swords, Sataghnis (a four armed weapon barbed with iron needles); Bhusumdis, (another weapon barbed with iron thorns one above the other in height), and poured on the great gods showers of weapons and missiles.

6.10.24

na te 'dṛśyanta sañchannāḥ śarajālaiḥ samantataḥ /
puṅkhānupuṅkhapatitairjyotīṃṣīva nabhoghanaiḥ //

Covered on all sides by networks of arrows falling feather to feather, / they were not visible, like the celestial luminaries covered by clouds in the sky.

24. Covered on all sides with networks of the arrows that fell in volleys, they (the gods) could not be seen like stars hidden by clouds in the sky.

6.10.25

na te śastrāstravarṣaughā hy āseduḥ surasainikān /
chinnāḥ siddhapathe devairlaghuhastaiḥ sahasradhā //

Those floods of weapons and missiles did not reach the soldiers of the gods, / for they were cut into thousands of pieces in the path of the Siddhas by the swift-handed gods.

25. But those torrents of weapons and missiles did not indeed reach the battalions of the celestial force; and those were cut into thousand pieces in the sky (on the way) by the quick-handed gods.

6.10.26

atha kṣīṇāstraśastraughā giriśṛṅgadrumopalaiḥ /
abhyavarṣan surabalaṃ cicchidustāṃśca pūrvavat //

Then, their stores of missiles and weapons exhausted, they showered the army of the gods / with mountain peaks, trees, and stones, and the gods cut them down just as before.

26. When they became exhausted in all weapons and missiles, the Asuras next showered the army of the gods with peaks of mountains, trees and stones; and as before the gods cut them off.

6.10.27

tān akṣatān svastimato niśāmya śastrāstrapūgairatha vṛtranāthāḥ /
drumairdṛṣadbhirvividhādriśṛṅgair avikṣatāṃstatrasurindrasainikān //

Seeing Indra's soldiers unharmed, safe and sound, completely unwounded / by the hosts of weapons and missiles, by trees, stones, and various mountain peaks, the leaders with Vṛtra as their head were terrified.

27. Then observing (the gods) Indra’s fighting men safe and unhurt by all the volleys of the weapons as well as by the trees, rocks and various mountain-crests hurled at them, the Asuras led by Vrithra were filled with consternation.

6.10.28

sarve prayāsā abhavan vimoghāḥ kṛtāḥ kṛtā devagaṇeṣu daityaiḥ /
kṛṣṇānukūleṣu yathā mahatsu kṣudraiḥ prayuktā ūṣatī rūkṣavācaḥ //

All the efforts made again and again by the Daityas against the host of gods were in vain, / just as biting and harsh words directed by base people against exalted devotees favored by Kṛṣṇa come to nothing.

28. All the efforts repeatedly made by the Daityas against the gods to whom Krishna is favourable became ineffectual just as all the abusive and harsh words uttered by vulgar people are ineffectual on (cannot perturb) the great.

6.10.29

te svaprayāsaṃ vitathaṃ nirīkṣya harāvabhaktā hatayuddhadarpāḥ /
palāyanāyājimukhe visṛjya patiṃ manaste dadhurāttasārāḥ //

Seeing their effort come to naught, lacking devotion to Hari and stripped of their pride in battle, / their strength broken, abandoning their master at the vanguard of the fight, they set their minds on flight.

29. The Asuras who feel no love to Hari found their effort rendered futile, had their pride in war broken and their energy sapped, and made up their mind to flee away deserting their leader in front of the battle-field.

6.10.30

vṛtro 'surāṃstān anugān manasvī pradhāvataḥ prekṣya babhāṣa etat /
palāyitaṃ prekṣya balaṃ ca bhagnaṃ bhayena tīvreṇa vihasya vīraḥ //

The noble and heroic Vṛtra, seeing those asura followers fleeing / and beholding his broken army routed by intense fear, laughed and spoke thus:

30. The thoughtful warrior Vrithra saw his Asura followers running away as well as his army broken and scattered through terror, laughed out and said as follows:—

6.10.31

kālopapannāṃ rucirāṃ manasvināṃ jagāda vācaṃ puruṣapravīraḥ /
he vipracitte namuce puloman mayānarvan chambara me śṛṇudhvam //

The foremost hero among men addressed words timely and pleasing to the noble: / 'O Vipracitti, Namuci, Puloman, Maya, Anarvan, and Śambara, listen to me!

31. That heroic person (Vrithra) uttered words most opportune and agreeable to the thoughtful, "O Viprachithi, Namuchi, Puloman, Maya, Anarvan, Sambara, listen to me.

6.10.32

jātasya mṛtyurdhruva eva sarvataḥ pratikriyā yasya na ceha kḷptā /
loko yaśaścātha tato yadi hy amuṃ ko nāma mṛtyuṃ na vṛṇīta yuktam //

For one who is born, death is certain from every quarter, and no remedy for it has been devised here in this world. / If a world of renown follows from it, what man indeed would not embrace such a proper death?

32. "This death is inevitable to every one that is born and there is no avoiding it in any direction, (as it is appointed by the Maker). Therefore if the attainment of a region or fame would follow death, who would not welcome such a desirable end?

6.10.33

dvau sammatāviha mṛtyū durāpau yadbrahmasandhāraṇayā jitāsuḥ /
kalevaraṃ yogarato vijahyād yadagraṇīrvīraśaye 'nivṛttaḥ //

Two kinds of death are praised here as difficult to attain: when one, having mastered his breath by concentrating on Brahman / and engaged in yoga, casts off the body; and when, leading at the forefront, one falls upon the hero's couch without retreating.'

33. "There are two desirable cases of death that are not easily the lot of all (1) that one, having controlled his breaths and successful in yoga practice, may in contemplation of Brahman cast off the body and (2) that a warrior fighting in front of the battle-field (the bed of warriors) gives up his ghost without turning his back."