Bhagavatapurana 6.11: athaikādaśo'dhyāyaḥ

6.11.1

/0 śrīśuka uvāca
ta evaṃ śaṃsato dharmaṃ vacaḥ patyuracetasaḥ /
naivāgṛhṇanta sambhrāntāḥ palāyanaparā nṛpa //

Śrī Śuka said:
Though their master spoke words of dharma in this way, those foolish ones, / utterly bewildered and bent on flight, did not heed them at all, O king.

1. Sri Suka said:— The Asuras possessed of no good sense, harassed with fright and intent upon flight, did not, O king, listen at all to the words of Vrithra who explained what was righteous.

6.11.2

viśīryamāṇāṃ pṛtanāmāsurīmasurarṣabhaḥ /
kālānukūlaistridaśaiḥ kālyamānāmanāthavat //

Seeing the asura army crumbling / and driven like orphans by the gods favored by time,

2. The great Asura saw the Asura army shattered and scattered by the gods to whom Time was then favourable, as if it had no commander. 3. Indra's foe waxed indignant and impatient (to see the army in that plight). (However) with his own prowess and energy, he offered resistance to the gods, O king, threatened them and said as follows.

6.11.3

dṛṣṭvātapyata saṅkruddha indraśatruramarṣitaḥ /
tān nivāryaujasā rājan nirbhartsyedamuvāca ha //

the enemy of Indra, furious and indignant, was tormented with anger. / Checking them with his own might, O king, he rebuked them and said:

6.11.4

kiṃ va uccaritairmāturdhāvadbhiḥ pṛṣṭhato hataiḥ /
na hi bhītavadhaḥ ślāghyo na svargyaḥ śūramāninām //

'What is gained by you, the excrement of your mothers, running away and being struck from behind? / Killing the frightened is neither praiseworthy nor heaven-bestowing for those who consider themselves heroes.

4. Of what use is it to you to strike from behind the fleeing Asuras who are merely their mothers' filth? For to lay hands on the frightened enemy is no worthy feat, nor calculated to open the gates of heaven to those that pride themselves as warriors.

6.11.5

yadi vaḥ pradhane śraddhā sāraṃ vā kṣullakā hṛdi /
agre tiṣṭhata mātraṃ me na cedgrāmyasukhe spṛhā //

If you have any faith in battle or any courage in your hearts, O wretched ones, / stand before me just for a moment, unless you have longing [only] for vulgar domestic pleasure!'

5. If you be earnest in fighting and if there be any force of spirit in your heart, O little creatures, just stand a moment before me if you have no longing for vulgar pleasures.

6.11.6

evaṃ suragaṇān kruddho bhīṣayan vapuṣā ripūn /
vyanadat sumahāprāṇo yena lokā vicetasaḥ //

Enraged, terrifying his foes with his massive body, / that one of immense vitality roared so powerfully that the worlds lost their senses.

6. Vrithra of vast strength, full of rage, striking terror by his (formidable) person into (the heart of) the gods, roared so terribly that the peoples of the world stood stunned.

6.11.7

tena devagaṇāḥ sarve vṛtravisphoṭanena vai /
nipeturmūrcchitā bhūmau yathaivāśaninā hatāḥ //

At that thunderous roar of Vṛtra, indeed, / all the hosts of gods fell to the earth in a swoon, as if struck by a lightning bolt.

7. Hearing that terrible roar of Vrithra all the hosts of the gods fell down senseless on the ground as if struck with lightning.

6.11.8

mamarda padbhyāṃ surasainyamāturaṃ nimīlitākṣaṃ raṇaraṅgadurmadaḥ /
gāṃ kampayannudyataśūla ojasā nālaṃ vanaṃ yūthapatiryathonmadaḥ //

Fierce with frenzy in the arena of battle, trembling the earth with his raised trident in his might, / he trampled the helpless army of gods whose eyes were closed, as a maddened leader of an elephant herd crushes a grove of reeds.

8. Like the king elephant trampling down a lotus-bed, in the season of his intense madness, Vrithra, overful with the warrior's pride on the field, shaking the earth under him with his mighty strength, and raising his trident, he trod down under his feet the army of the gods who in their anxious state shut their eyes.

6.11.9

vilokya taṃ vajradharo 'tyamarṣitaḥ svaśatrave 'bhidravate mahāgadām /
cikṣepa tāmāpatatīṃ suduḥsahāṃ jagrāha vāmena kareṇa līlayā //

Seeing him, the wielder of the thunderbolt, furious, threw a great mace / against his rushing enemy; and as it flew toward him, unbearable to others, he caught it easily with his left hand.

9. On seeing thus advancing the wielder of Vajra burning with rage threw his great gada on to him, the enemy marching towards him; but with his left hand Vrithra sportfully took hold of that weapon coming with irresistible force.

6.11.10

sa indraśatruḥ kupito bhṛśaṃ tayā mahendravāhaṃ gadayoruvikramaḥ /
jaghāna kumbhasthala unnadan mṛdhe tat karma sarve samapūjayan nṛpa //

That enemy of Indra, of immense prowess, greatly enraged, / struck the frontal lobe of the great Indra's mount with that mace while roaring in battle. All praised that deed, O king.

10. That foe of Indra, of terrible prowess, highly enraged at that, hit with the same gada Indra's elephant on his head and roared in the battle field and this feat was much commended, O king, by all.

6.11.11

airāvato vṛtragadābhimṛṣṭo vighūrṇito 'driḥ kuliśāhato yathā /
apāsaradbhinnamukhaḥ sahendro muñcannasṛk saptadhanurbhṛśārtaḥ //

Airāvata, struck by Vṛtra's mace, spun around like a mountain struck by a thunderbolt; / with his face shattered, vomiting blood, and severely distressed, he retreated seven bow-lengths along with Indra.

11. Like a mountain struck with Vajra (Indra's weapon) Ira-vata, assailed by the mace of Vritra, had his face cut and vomited blood and in great affliction reeled and ran away with Indra to a distance of seven bows.

6.11.12

na sannavāhāya viṣaṇṇacetase prāyuṅkta bhūyaḥ sa gadāṃ mahātmā /
indro 'mṛtasyandikarābhimarśa vītavyathakṣatavāho 'vatasthe //

The noble-minded one did not strike again with his mace at the dispirited Indra whose mount was incapacitated. / Indra then stood his ground, the wounds and distress of his mount relieved by the touch of his nectar-flowing hand.

12. The noble-minded Vrithra did not again aim his gada at Indra who had fallen into confusion and had his animal (vehicle)

disabled; but Indra made his elephant whole and healthy with the touch of his hand dripping with nectar and again stood forward in battle.

6.11.13

sa taṃ nṛpendrāhavakāmyayā ripuṃ vajrāyudhaṃ bhrātṛhaṇaṃ vilokya /
smaraṃśca tatkarma nṛśaṃsamaṃhaḥ śokena mohena hasan jagāda //

Seeing his enemy with thunderbolt weapon in hand, the killer of his brother, eager for battle, O king of men, / and remembering that cruel and sinful deed, laughing with grief and bewilderment, he spoke:

13. O great king, desirous of war-like deeds and looking at the wielder of Vajra, the slayer of his brother, Vrithra remembering that cruel deed of Indra and his sinful act and through grief and confusion putting on a smile, said (as follows).

6.11.14

/0 śrīvṛtra uvāca
diṣṭyā bhavān me samavasthito ripur yo brahmahā guruhā bhrātṛhā ca /
diṣṭyānṛṇo 'dyāhamasattama tvayā macchūlanirbhinnadṛṣaddhṛdācirāt //

Śrī Vṛtra said:
'By good fortune you stand before me, my enemy, who killed a brāhmaṇa, killed your teacher, and killed my brother! / By good fortune I shall soon be freed from debt to you today, most wicked one, having pierced your stone-like heart with my trident!

14. Vrithra said:— Fortunately thou, the slayer of the brahmin, the preceptor and my brother, hast now stood before me as my opponent. O most wicked one, I shall to-day after a long interval have my debt paid through thee whose heart hard like stone will be broken by my trident.

6.11.15

yo no 'grajasyātmavido dvijāter gurorapāpasya ca dīkṣitasya /
viśrabhya khaḍgena śirāṃsy avṛścat paśorivākaruṇaḥ svargakāmaḥ //

You who, devoid of compassion and desiring heaven, cut off with your sword the heads of our elder brother—a knower of the self, a twice-born, / a guru, sinless, and consecrated for sacrifice—after winning his trust, as if he were an animal!

15. Indeed like a person desirous of Swarga who mercilessly sacrifices animals, thou hast cut with thy sword the heads of our elder brother who was a brahmin, thy preceptor, a sinless person and engaged in a sacrifice with full confidence of being secure (in thy hands).

6.11.16

śrīhrīdayākīrtibhirujjhitaṃ tvāṃ svakarmaṇā puruṣādaiśca garhyam /
kṛcchreṇa macchūlavibhinnadeham aspṛṣṭavahniṃ samadanti gṛdhrāḥ //

Devoid of fortune, shame, compassion, and renown, condemned even by cannibals for your own deed, / you shall have your body torn by my trident in great agony, and untouched by fire, the vultures will devour you.

16. Thee destitute of shame, nobility, mercy and good name, and fit to be censured even by cannibals and by thy own act—Vultures (shall soon) devour—thy body split up by my trident and untouched by fire.

6.11.17

anye 'nu ye tveha nṛśaṃsamajñā yadudyatāstrāḥ praharanti mahyam /
tairbhūtanāthān sagaṇān niśāta triśūlanirbhinnagalairyajāmi //

And the other ignorant and cruel ones who, raising their weapons, strike at me here following you— / with their throats severed by my sharp trident, I shall offer them as sacrifice to the lords of spirits and their retinues.

17. With those others who in their ignorance have been the followers of thy cruel self and raised their weapons to strike at me and whose necks will be chopped off by my sharp trident, I shall propitiate the chief Bhutas and their retinue.

6.11.18

atho hare me kuliśena vīra hartā pramathyaiva śiro yadīha /
tatrānṛṇo bhūtabaliṃ vidhāya manasvināṃ pādarajaḥ prapatsye //

Or else, hero, if you, O Indra, cut off my head here with your thunderbolt, crushing me completely, / I shall become freed from debt, having offered a sacrifice of creatures, and attain the dust of the feet of the noble.

18. Or, O Indra, if thou art likely, O warrior, to cut my head by force with Vajra, even then I shall have my debts discharged by offering my own body to Bhutas and shall attain to the dust hallowed under the feet of great heroes (The wise and thoughtful sages).

6.11.19

sureśa kasmān na hinoṣi vajraṃ puraḥ sthite vairiṇi mayy amogham /
mā saṃśayiṣṭhā na gadeva vajraḥ syān niṣphalaḥ kṛpaṇārtheva yācñā //

O lord of the gods, why do you not cast your unfailing thunderbolt upon me, your enemy standing before you? / Do not doubt; the thunderbolt will not be fruitless like my mace, or like a plea made to a miser.

19. O Lord of the gods, why dost thou not send thy Vajra of unfailing power against me, thy enemy, standing before thee? Do not doubt that like gada Vajra may prove ineffectual like the request made for some purpose to the coveteous.

6.11.20

nanveṣa vajrastava śakra tejasā harerdadhīcestapasā ca tejitaḥ /
tenaiva śatruṃ jahi viṣṇuyantrito yato harirvijayaḥ śrīrguṇāstataḥ //

Indeed, O Śakra, this thunderbolt of yours is sharpened by the power of Hari and the asceticism of Dadhīca. / Directed by Viṣṇu, kill your enemy with it alone, for wherever Hari is, there is victory, glory, and good qualities.

20. O Indra, this Vajra is not indeed sharpened and strengthened with thy power; but it is so with Hari's energy and the tapas of Dadheechi; slay thy enemy with the same Vajra which is energised with power by Vishnu. On whatever side Hari stands, (on that side) victory, fortune, and meritorious qualities will be.

6.11.21

ahaṃ samādhāya mano yathāha naḥ saṅkarṣaṇastaccaraṇāravinde /
tvadvajraraṃholulitagrāmyapāśo gatiṃ muneryāmy apaviddhalokaḥ //

Having fixed my mind on the lotus feet of Saṅkarṣaṇa as he instructed us, / with the worldly bonds broken by the force of your thunderbolt, casting off the worlds, I shall attain the destination of the sage.

21. As instructed by Sankarshana I shall keep my mind in a peaceful state and devote it to His lotus-like feet and having cut asunder my vulgar ties through the force of thy Vajra and having abandoned this body I shall attain to the goal of the sage.

6.11.22

puṃsāṃ kilaikāntadhiyāṃ svakānāṃ yāḥ sampado divi bhūmau rasāyām /
na rāti yaddveṣa udvega ādhir madaḥ kalirvyasanaṃ samprayāsaḥ //

Indeed, the possessions found in heaven, on earth, or in the subterranean world / are not granted by Him to His own people of single-minded focus, since they lead to hatred, agitation, mental agony, arrogance, strife, distress, and exhausting labor.

22. The Lord does not of course confer on His own people who absolutely devote their mind to Him, any and all kinds of wealth available in the celestial region, on the earth and in the nether world; for, from that wealth arise only passion, concern, anxiety, insolence, discord, misery, and physical pain.

6.11.23

traivargikāyāsavighātamasmat patirvidhatte puruṣasya śakra /
tato 'numeyo bhagavatprasādo yo durlabho 'kiñcanagocaro 'nyaiḥ //

Our Lord brings about the defeat of a person's efforts toward the three goals of life, O Śakra. / From that is inferred the Lord's favor, which is difficult for others to attain, but accessible to those who possess nothing.

23. Our Lord causes obstruction to the labour relating to the Triwarga objects (Dharma, Artha and Kama) in the case of His devotee, O Indra, and from this circumstance is to be inferred that the Lord's grace, which is the lot of disinterested votaries, is not easy to be secured by others.

6.11.24

ahaṃ hare tava pādaikamūla dāsānudāso bhavitāsmi bhūyaḥ /
manaḥ smaretāsupaterguṇāṃste gṛṇīta vāk karma karotu kāyaḥ //

May I once more become, O Hari, the servant of the servants whose sole refuge is Your feet! / May my mind remember Your virtues, O Lord of life; may my speech chant them, and my body perform Your service!

24. O Lord Hari, I would again be the servant of the servants that worship the dust on Thy feet; may my mind remember the excellent qualities of the Lord of my life! may my tongue sing Thy praises and my body do Thy duty!

6.11.25

na nākapṛṣṭhaṃ na ca pārameṣṭhyaṃ na sārvabhaumaṃ na rasādhipatyam /
na yogasiddhīrapunarbhavaṃ vā samañjasa tvā virahayya kāṅkṣe //

I desire neither heaven, nor the realm of Brahmā, nor universal sovereignty, nor rulership over the nether regions, / nor yogic perfections, nor freedom from rebirth, O completely auspicious One, if I must be separated from You!

25. I do not seek, O Lord of all wealth, a high place in the heavens (like Dhruva) or the seat of Brahma, or imperial throne, or the lordship over Rasatala, or the powers of Yoga, or even Moksha, any thing separated from Thee.

6.11.26

ajātapakṣā iva mātaraṃ khagāḥ stanyaṃ yathā vatsatarāḥ kṣudhārtāḥ /
priyaṃ priyeva vyuṣitaṃ viṣaṇṇā mano 'ravindākṣa didṛkṣate tvām //

Like unfledged birds yearning for their mother, like hungry young calves for their mother's milk, / like a sorrowful wife for her beloved who has gone abroad, my mind yearns to see You, O lotus-eyed One!

26. Just as unfledged birds are anxious to see the mother bird, as young calves pinched with hunger look for the milk of their mother, as the beloved wife full of anxiety is eager to see her spouse who is gone to a distant country, so my mind, O Pundareekasha, yearns to see Thee.

6.11.27

mamottamaślokajaneṣu sakhyaṃ saṃsāracakre bhramataḥ svakarmabhiḥ /
tvanmāyayātmātmajadārageheṣv āsaktacittasya na nātha bhūyāt //

May I have friendship with those who belong to Him of highest renown as I wander through the cycle of rebirth by my own actions; / let my mind, O Lord, not be attached to self, children, wife, and home by Your creative power.'

27. O Lord, Prithee, may I have intimacy with Thy devotees while being tossed in the sea of Samsara by force of my own Karma! But may I not again form attachments which I had through the force of Thy Maya, to the body, wife, children and house!