Matsya Purana 251: adhyāyaḥ 251

251.1

kṣīrodamathanavarṇanam.
sūta uvāca.
mathyamāne punastasmin jaladhau samadṛśyata.
dhanvantariḥ sa bhagavān āyurvedaprajāpatiḥ .. 251.1..

Sûta said —When the ocean was churned again the great physician Dhanvantari, the author of Ayurveda, came out —1

251.2

madirā cāyatākṣī sā lokacittapramāthinī.
tato'mṛtañca surabhiḥ sarvabhūtabhayāpahā .. 251.2..

Next came out the broad-eyed Madirâ, the nectar and the cow Surabhi, the dispeller of the fears of all beings —2 Lord Viṣṇu took Lakṣmī and Kaustubha gem. Later on came out the famous elephant Airāvata, and they were taken by Indra and Dhanvantari, the giver of health to all the beings, was taken by the Sun.—2-3

251.3

jagrāha kamalāṃ viṣṇuḥ kaustubhañca mahāmaṇim.
gajendrañca sahasrākṣo hayaratnañca bhāskaraḥ .. 251.3..

251.4

dhanvantariñca jagrāha lokārogyapravartakam.
cchatraṃ jagrāha varuṇaḥ kuṇḍale ca śacīpatiḥ .. 251.4..

Dhanvantari, the great professor of Âyurveda, brought relief to the sufferings of the creation. The famous umbrella that came out of the ocean was taken by Varuṇa. Then came out two earrings which were taken by Vāyu.—4

251.5

pārijātataruṃ vāyurjagrāha muditastathā.
dhanvantaristato devo vapuṣmānudatiṣṭhata .. 251.5..

Pārijâta tree was taken by Indra. Then Dhanvantari assuming a charming form and taking a Kamaṇḍalu came out with the pot of nectar in his hand. At that time the Devas and the demons shouted out for nectar "It is ours, It is ours," when Lord Viṣṇu assumed the appearance of a bewitching damsel.—5-7

251.6

śvetaṃ kamaṇḍaluṃ bibhradamṛtaṃ yatra tiṣṭhati.
etadatyadbhutaṃ dṛṣṭvā dānavānāṃ samutthitaḥ .. 251.6..

251.7

amṛtārthe mahānādo mamedamiti jalpatām.
tato nārāyaṇo māyāmāsthito mohinīṃ prabhuḥ .. 251.7..

251.8

strīrūpamatulaṃ kṛtvā dānavānabhisaṃsṛtaḥ.
tatastadamṛtaṃ tasyai daduste mūḍhacetanāḥ.
striyai dānavadaiteyāḥ sarve tadgatamānasāḥ .. 251.8..

And He fascinated the demons who being deluded, placed the pitcher of nectar into the hands of the Lord and then ran towards the Devas to fight with them, with various arms in their hands. In the meantime the Lord most ingeniously brought the pot of nectar before the Devas and the demons when the Devas began to drink it. The demon Râhu assumed the form of a Deva took his seat along with the Devas and was going to drink the nectar.—8-12

251.9

athāstrāṇi ca mukhyāni mahāpraharaṇāni ca.
pragṛhyābhyadravandevān sahitā daityadānavāḥ .. 251.9..

251.10

tatastadamṛtaṃ devo viṣṇurādāya vīryavān.
jahāra dānavendrebhyo nareṇa sahitaḥ prabhuḥ .. 251.10..

251.11

tato devagaṇāḥ sarve papustadamṛtaṃ tadā.
viṣṇoḥ sakāśāt saṃprāpya saṃgrāme tumule sati .. 251.11..

251.12

tataḥ pibatsu tatkālaṃ deveṣvamṛtamīpsitam.
rāhurvibudharūpeṇa dānavo'pyapibattadā .. 251.12..

251.13

tasya kaṇṭhamanuprāpte dānavasyāmṛte tadā.
ākhyātaṃ candrasūryābhyāṃ surāṇāṃ hitakāmyayā .. 251.13..

The Sun and the Moon drew the attention of the Devas to this for their benefit. When the nectar had gone into the throat of Râhu, Lord Viṣṇu severed his head by His quoit, but the severed head of the mountain like demon, that fell down and shook the earth remained alive and became immortal which is known as Râhu. Thus Râhu became the enemy of the Sun and the Moon and he takes vengeance on them even up to the present day at the time of their eclipses.—13-16

251.14

tato bhagavatā tasya śiraśchinnamalaṃkṛtam.
cakrāyudhena cakreṇa pibato'mṛtamojasā .. 251.14..

251.15

tacchailaśrṛṅgapratimaṃ dānavasya śiro mahat.
cakreṇotkṛttamapataccālayan vasudhātalam .. 251.15..

251.16

tato vairavinirbandhaḥ kṛto rāhumukhena vai.
śāśvataścandrasūryābhyāṃ prasahyādyāpi bādhate .. 251.16..

251.17

vihāya bhagavāṃścāpi strīrūpamatulaṃ hariḥ.
nānā praharaṇairbhīmairdānavān samakampayat .. 251.17..

Afterwards Lord Viṣṇu leaving His form of that enchanting damsel began to inflict blows on the demons with his various weapons.—17

251.18

prāsāḥ suvipulāstīkṣṇāḥ patantaśca sahasraśaḥ.
te surāścakranirbhinnā vamanto rudhiraṃ bahu .. 251.18..

Hundreds and thousands of powerful sharp Paśastras then began to fall. The Asuras got pierced with Chakra which made them vomit blood.—18

251.19

ariśaktigadābhinnā nipeturdharaṇītale.
bhinnāni paṭṭiśaścāpi śirāṃsi yudhidāruṇaiḥ .. 251.19..

Most of them fell on the ground by the blows of sword, trident etc., and the skulls of many were ripped by the terrible Paṭṭiśastra and fell down with garlands round them.—19

251.20

taptakāñcanamālyāni nipeturaniśantadā.
rudhireṇāvaliptāṅgā nihatāśca mahāsurāḥ .. 251.20..

Then most of the mighty demons, soaked in blood, shining like burnished gold fell dead on the ground.—20

251.21

adriṇāmiva kūṭāni dhāturaktāni śerate.
tato halahalāśabdaḥ sambabhūva samantataḥ .. 251.21..

The battle went on till evening. They fell down like the mountains of red chalk and a huge din was made by their fight and fall.—21

251.22

anyo'nyaṃ cchindatāṃ śastrairāditye lohitāyati.
parighaiścāyasaiḥ pītaiḥ sannikarṣaiśca muṣṭibhiḥ .. 251.22..

In that terrible fighting all the arms were dyed in gore and the universe resounded with the war cries "Cut them clean into two, break them, run away, throw them down, etc."—22-23

251.23

nighnatāṃ samare'nyo'nyaṃ śabdo divamivāspṛśat.
cchindhi bhindhi pradhāveti pātayebhisareti vai .. 251.23..

251.24

viśrūyante mahāghorāḥ śabdāstatra samantataḥ.
evaṃ sutumule yuddhe vartamāne mahābhaye .. 251.24..

When the universe was filled with that din then Nara and Nârâyaṇa resorted to the battlefield; Lord Viṣṇu, seeing the bow in Nara's hand remembered His Sudarśana quoit, and at that very instant Sudarśana, the destroyer of the enemies, descended from the heaven and seeing that mighty weapon, the annihilator of the enemies, shining like the Sun, burning like fire, Lord Viṣṇu violently hurled the terrible Chakra at the demons which repeatedly struck them.—24-28

251.25

narānārāyaṇau devau samājagmaturāhavam.
tatra divyaṃ dhanurdṛṣṭvā narasya bhagavānapi ..
cintayāmāsa vai cakraṃ viṣṇurdānavasattamān .. 251.25..

251.26

tato'mbarāccintitamātramāgataṃ mahāprabhaṃ cakramamitranāśanam.
vibhāvasostulyamakuṇṭhamaṇḍalaṃ sudarśanaṃ bhīmamasahyamuttamam .. 251.26..

251.27

tadāgataṃ jvalitahutāśanaprabhaṃ bhayaṅkaraṃ karikarabāhuracyutaḥ .
mahāprabhaṃ danukuladaityadāraṇaṃ tathojvalajjvalanasamānavigraham .. 251.27..

251.28

mumoca vai tapanamudapravegavān mahāprabhaṃ ripunagarāvadāraṇam.
samvarttakajvalanasamānavarcasaṃ punaḥ punarnyapatata vegavattadā .. 251.28..

251.29

vyadārayaddititanayān sahasraśaḥ kareritaṃ puruṣavareṇa saṃyuge.
dahat kvacijjvalan ivānileritaṃ prasahya tānasuragaṇānnakṛntata .. 251.29..

Then that quoit shining like the brilliant form of fire, mercilessly killed thousands of demons At some places it burnt them like fire aided by wind, it cut them into pieces, then it rose into the air and hurled flames of fire on the demons and drank their gore The demons began to hurl mountains after mountains on the Devas and crushed them But by the force of that quoit many mountain chains looking like the banks of clouds fell down with mighty trees when the world began to quake and rumble The mountain tops were also shattered by the arrows of the Devas and the demons Then Nara hurled his great arrow, decked at its fore-end with gold, and covered the atmosphere The Devas were frightened when He cut assunder all the tops of the mountains by arrows Then the demons harassed by the Devas entered into the ocean, and others down into the bottom of the earth.—29-34

251.30

praveritaṃ viyati muhuḥ kṣitau tadā papau raṇe rudhiramayaḥ piśācavat.
athāsurā giribhiradīnamānasā muhurmuhuḥ suragaṇamardayaṃstathā .. 251.30..

251.31

mahācalā vigalitameghavarcasaḥ sahasraśo gaganamahāprapātinaḥ.
athāntarābharajananāḥ prapedire sapādapā bahuvidhamegharūpiṇaḥ .. 251.31..

251.32

mahādrayaḥ pravigalitāgrasānavaḥ parasparaṃ drutamabhipatya bhāsvarāḥ .
tato mahī pracalitasādrikānānā mahīdharāḥ pavanahatāḥ samantataḥ .. 251.32..

251.33

parasparaṃ bhṛśamabhigarjitaṃ muhū raṇājire bhṛśamabhi sampravarttate.
narastato varakanakāgrabhūṣaṇairmaheṣubhiḥ pavanapathaṃ samāvṛṇot .. 251.33..

251.34

vidārayan giriśikharāṇi patribhirmahābhaye suragaṇavigrahe tadā.
tato mahīṃ lavaṇajalañca sāgaraṃ mahāsurāḥ praviviśurarditāḥ suraiḥ .. 251.34..

251.35

viyadgataṃ jvalitahutāśanaprabhaṃ sudarśanaṃ parikupitaṃ niśāmya ca.
tataḥ surairvijayamavāpya mandaraḥ svameva deśaṃ gamitaḥ supūjitaḥ .. 251.35..

The power of the fiery weapon Sudarśana then subsided And the mount Mandarâchala was put back into its original position through the glory of Sudaraśana The Devas worshipped the mountain Mandâra duly before refixing it and uttered sounds of joy The Devas then returned to their abodes with joy and stored the nectar most carefully and kept it under the charge of Viṣṇu

251.36

vinādayan svadiśamupetya sarvaśastato gatāḥ saliladharā yathā gatam.
tato'mṛtaṃ sunihitameva cakrire surāḥ parāṃ mudamabhigamya puṣkalām.
daduśca taṃ nighimamṛtasya rakṣituṃ kirīṭine balibhirathāmaraiḥ saha .. 251.36..