Matsyapurana 152

English (machine translation) 152

Language: English

152.1

When that Daitya Grasana, a lord of the worlds, was slain, / the Dānavas fought unrestrainedly against Hari,

152.2

with paṭṭiśas, clubs, nooses, maces, iron bars, / sharp-pointed iron shafts, discuses, and spears.

152.3

Janārdana, wondrous in battle, with arrows resembling tongues of fire, / severed into hundreds each one of those weapons hurled by the Dānavas.

152.4

Then, their weapons and strength exhausted, their minds bewildered, / when the Dānavas were unable to take up weapons in battle,

152.5

they then fought Janārdana with dead elephants and horses; / tens of millions of Daityas fought back from all sides all around.

152.6

Having assumed many forms, Viṣṇu's arms became somewhat tired; / and he spoke to Garutmat in that tumultuous battle:

152.7

“Garutmat, are you perhaps not yet tired now in this [combat]? / If you are untired, then proceed toward Mathana's chariot.

152.8

Or if you are tired, withdraw from the battle for a moment.” / Addressed thus by that sovereign Viṣṇu,

152.9

Garuḍa approached the Daitya Mathana of dreadful appearance in the battle. / The Daitya, seeing the wielder of the conch, discus, and mace facing him,

152.10

struck him in the chest with a bhindipāla javelin and a sharp arrow. / Disregarding that blow in that great combat, Viṣṇu

152.11

struck him with five polished arrows sharpened on stone; / pulling back [his bow], he struck him again with ten [arrows] between the breasts.

152.12

Pierced in his vital spots by Hari's arrows, the lord of Daityas trembled. / Having rested for a moment, he then seized an iron club

152.13

and struck Janārdana with the iron club blazing with the luster of fire. / By that blow, Viṣṇu was slightly shaken.

152.14

Then Mādhava, his eyes rolling in wrath, seized his mace; / in anger he crushed Mathana along with his chariot out of fury.

152.15

The lord of Daityas fell then like a mountain at the time of cosmic dissolution. / When that powerful Dānava had fallen to the earth,

152.16

the Daityas sank into despair like elephants into mud. / Then, when those overweening Dānavas had met with ruin,

152.17

Mahiṣa, lord of the Dānavas, his eyes red with fury, / fierce and relying on the strength of his own arms, advanced against Hari.

152.18

Tormenting Hari with a sharp-edged trident, / the heroic Mahiṣa struck Garuḍa in the chest with a spear.

152.19

Then, opening his mouth wide like a cave in a great mountain, / the Daitya in the battle wished to swallow Garutmat and Acyuta.

152.20

Then Acyuta of great might, perceiving what the Dānava intended to do, / filled his mouth with celestial weapons.

152.21

Having blocked his mouth with celestial [shafts] consecrated with celestial mantras, / he who has Garuḍa on his banner unleashed a torrent of arrows against Mahiṣa.

152.22

Struck by those arrows, Mahiṣa, who resembled a mountain, / turned upside down and fell down, but he did not die.

152.23

Seeing Mahiṣa fallen upon the ground, Keśava said: / “Mahiṣāsura, you do not deserve death here by weapons at my hands.

152.24

You were proclaimed of old by the lotus-born [Brahmā] himself to be slain by a woman. / Rise up, save your life, and depart swiftly from this combat!”

152.25

When that Daitya Mahiṣa had turned away, the Dānava Śumbha / bit his lips in fury, his face crooked with a frown.

152.26

Wringing hand against hand and taking up a terrible bow, / he strung the bow and [readied] arrows resembling venomous serpents.

152.27

Wondrous in combat and striking with a firm grip, that Daitya then / [attacked] Viṣṇu and Garuḍa with countless, unhindered arrows resembling blazing crests of fire.

152.28

Viṣṇu, though struck by the arrows of the Daitya lord, took up a bhuśuṇḍī club equal to the god of death; / and with that bhuśuṇḍī he crushed Śumbha's mount, a ram resembling a mountain.

Having leapt down from that slain ram onto the earth, that lord of Daityas became a foot-soldier; / then Hari, shining like the fire of cosmic dissolution, released a torrent of arrows against him as he stood on the ground.

152.30

With three arrows Viṣṇu pierced his arm, with six his head, and with ten his banner; / pulling back [his bowstring] to the ear, his eyes rolled wide, he pierced the Daitya.

152.31

Pierced by him, the lord of the Daityas suffered agony, streams of blood flowing forth; / then, to him who was somewhat shaken from his courage, the one holding the conch, lotus, and Śārṅga bow spoke:

152.32

“You are to be slain by a maiden; quit the battle, Asura Śumbha, in a very few days! / You do not deserve to meet your death from me here, fool; why are you eager for battle in vain?”

152.33

Hearing this speech from Viṣṇu's mouth, Jambha and Nimi desired to crush Viṣṇu; / then Nimi, raising a fierce club, struck Garuḍa heavily upon the head.

152.34

Śumbha also [struck] Viṣṇu upon the head with an iron club of variegated splendor with polished jewels; / from the terrible blows of the two Dānavas, the two [Viṣṇu and Garuḍa] fell upon the earth like a cloud and fire.

152.35

Seeing that act, all the sons of Diti roared aloud, uttering lion-roars; / clapping their bows and striking down the gods, those fierce warriors tore up the very earth; / others shook their clothes and blew loud blasts upon conches, drums, and gomukha horns.

152.36

Then quickly regaining consciousness, Garuḍa along with Keśava / turned away from that battlefield and fled with great speed.

Translations (1)

The Matsya Puranam — A Taluqdar of Oudh 1916, English

Linked texts (1)

Matsyapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit