Skandapurana 1.3.2

English (machine translation) 1.3.2

Language: English

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Lomaśa said: / Hearing the words spoken by Viṣṇu, Dakṣa said these words: / "You have rendered the Vedas invalid, O Madhusūdana!

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And abandoning Vedic action, how could one attain the state of being with the Lord? / Let that be spoken, O Mahāviṣṇu, by which dharma is established!"

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Addressed by Dakṣa, Mahāviṣṇu spoke, pacifying him: / "The Vedas have the three guṇas as their domain; they cannot be otherwise.

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How can rites proclaimed in the Vedas bear fruit without Īśvara? / They will indeed be entirely fruitless.

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Therefore, by every effort, take refuge in Īśvara!" / While Govinda was speaking thus, an ocean of an army arrived, / resembling Vīrabhadra; then the gods saw it.

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Laughing at Viṣṇu, who was then engaged in asserting his own doctrine, / Indra, thunderbolt in hand, together with the gods, desired to fight.

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Driven on quickly by Bhṛgu, intent on expulsion, / the attendants then fought against the gods, surrounded by their retinues.

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They struck one another with arrows, javelins, and iron darts; / conches sounded repeatedly in that great festival of battle.

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Likewise kettle-drums, wardrums, and small drums resounded. / Praised by that mighty noise, the gods then, / joined with the world-guardians, struck down those servants of Śiva.

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Some were slain with swords and others crushed with maces; / all the attendants, by hundreds and thousands, were defeated by the gods.

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Those attendants were turned back by the world-guardians headed by Indra, / and routed instantly by the power of Bhṛgu's mantra.

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Their expulsion was then performed by the sacrificer Bhṛgu / for the sake of the sacrifice and for the satisfaction of the consecrated Dakṣa.

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By that alone, the gods became victorious at that very moment. / Seeing the defeat of his own forces, Vīrabhadra, filled with wrath,

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placing behind him the spirits, ghosts, and fiends, / placing before him those mounted on bulls, the mighty one himself / took up a sharp trident and threw them down in battle.

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Against the gods, yakṣas, fiends, guhyakas, and rākṣasas, / with blows of tridents, all those attendants struck down the gods.

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Some were cut in two with swords and others beaten with clubs; / some were chopped into pieces with battle-axes on the battleground.

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Hundreds were pierced with pikes, and some were smashed to bits. / Thus defeated, they all became intent on flight.

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Embracing one another, they fled even to heaven. / Only the world-guardians headed by Indra remained, anxious, / asking Bṛhaspati: “Whence may victory be ours?”

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Bṛhaspati then spoke quickly to the king of the gods: / Bṛhaspati said: / “What Viṣṇu spoke previously has indeed come true today.

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If there is any lord who bestows the fruit of action, / he attends to the agent; he is surely not a master over one who does nothing.

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Neither all mantras and herbs, nor sorceries, nor worldly means, / nor rituals, nor the Vedas, nor the two Mīmāṃsās,

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are capable of knowing [him]. But he can be known through single-minded devotion; / Sadāśiva is to be known through supreme peace and satisfaction.

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Through him the entire world, consisting of pleasure and pain, comes into being. / Nevertheless, I shall speak out of a desire to distinguish what should and should not be done.

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You, Indra, acting like a fool together with the world-guardians, / have arrived here today as a fool. What will you do now?

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These highly glorious attendants are the helpers of Rudra; / when enraged, these illustrious ones leave no remainder.”

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Hearing this speech of Bṛhaspati, those dwellers of heaven, / all the great world-guardians, fell into anxiety.

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Then Vīrabhadra, closely surrounded by the attendants, said: / “All of you have come out of foolishness for your sacrificial portions.

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I shall give you your portions swiftly for your satisfaction.” / Having spoken thus, filled with rage, he then struck with sharp arrows.

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Struck down by those arrows, they all fled to the ten directions.

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When the world-guardians had departed and the gods were dispersed, / Vīrabhadra, accompanied by the attendants, arrived at the sacrificial enclosure.

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Then all those seers, desiring to entreat the supreme Lord of all, / quickly spoke thus to Janārdana:

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“Protect Dakṣa’s sacrifice, for you are the sacrifice without doubt.” / Hearing this word of the seers, Janārdana,

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Viṣṇu, who illuminates inner truth, stood in battle wishing to fight. / The mighty-armed Vīrabhadra addressed a speech to Keśava:

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“Why have you come here, Viṣṇu, who know my great power? / Taking Dakṣa's side, how will you conquer? Tell me that!

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Have you not seen what was done by Satī, O sinless one? / And you too have come to Dakṣa's sacrifice for a portion; / I will give a portion to you as well, O mighty-armed one!”

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Having spoken thus, first bowing to Viṣṇu whose form is equal, / Vīrabhadra stepped forward and then addressed words to Viṣṇu:

“Just as Śambhu is, so indeed are you; there is no doubt of this in my mind. / Nevertheless, O mighty-armed one, you stand before me wishing to fight. / I will dispatch you to non-return if you stand your ground.”

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Hearing those words of the wise Vīrabhadra, / the god Viṣṇu, supreme Lord of all, laughed and spoke:

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Viṣṇu said: / “You are born from the fiery energy of Rudra; you are pure, O noble-minded one! / I was requested previously and repeatedly by Dakṣa for the sake of the sacrifice.

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I am dependent on devotees, and so is Maheśvara; / for that very reason, I have come here to Dakṣa's sacrifice,

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O Vīrabhadra, who arose from the wrath of Rudra! / I will ward you off, or you ward me off.”

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When Govinda had spoken thus, the mighty-armed one laughed, / bowed with modesty, and spoke this to Janārdana:

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“Just as Śiva is, so indeed are you; and just as you are, so is Śiva. / We are all the servants of you or of Śaṃkara.”

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Hearing those words of his, the imperishable Acyuta laughed, / and the supreme lord Viṣṇu spoke this momentous word:

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“Fight with me without fear, O mighty-armed one! / Being covered by your weapons, I shall go to my own abode.”

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Saying “So be it,” that hero, the mighty Vīrabhadra, / took up supreme weapons and roared with lion-roars.

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Viṣṇu too made a loud sound with the blast of his conch; / hearing that, the gods who had fled, having left the battle, returned once again.

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Then all the world-protectors, led by Indra, formed a battle array. / At that, Nandin was struck by Indra with his hundred-jointed thunderbolt.

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And Indra was struck by Nandin with a trident between the breasts. / And Bhṛṅgin was struck by Vāyu, and Vāyu was struck down by Bhṛṅgin.

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Equipped with a sharp-edged spear, the powerful Mahākāla / [fought] in battle with Yama, who carried a staff.

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And meeting Kubera, the lord of the kūṣmāṇḍas himself [fought him]. / And the exceedingly strong Muṇḍa fought a duel with Varuṇa,

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Fighting with supreme power, as if astonishing the three worlds. / Encountering Nairṛta, the exceedingly powerful Caṇḍa,

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Fought with a supreme weapon, deriding Nairṛta. / Accompanied by a circle of yoginīs, the great leader Bhairava,

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Tearing apart all the gods, drank the extraordinary blood. / Likewise, other kṣetrapālas, bhūtas, pramathas, and guhyakas,

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Fierce śākinīs, ḍākinīs, the nine Durgās as well, / yoginīs and yātudhānīs, and likewise kūṣmāṇḍas and the rest / roared, drank blood, and ate much flesh.

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Seeing his army being devoured then, the king of the gods himself / left Nandin behind and rushed toward Vīrabhadra.

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Leaving Viṣṇu aside, Vīrabhadra set upon the lord of the gods. / A terrible battle ensued between the two, like that between Mercury and Mars.

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When Indra, filled with haste, desired to kill Vīrabhadra, / [Vīrabhadra] immediately covered Indra, seated on his elephant, with arrows.

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Filled with rage, Vīrabhadra was irresistible and of great might. / Then he was swiftly struck by Indra with his hundred-jointed thunderbolt.

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He prepared to swallow Indra along with his elephant and his thunderbolt. / A great cry of woe arose among the beings watching there.

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Seeing Vīrabhadra acting in such a way, desiring to slay Purandara, / Viṣṇu, hurrying at that moment, stood in front of Vīrabhadra.

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Placing Indra behind him, he then fought [with him]. / Then a supreme battle took place between Vīrabhadra and Viṣṇu.

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The two then fought with weapons and missiles of various forms. / Seeing Nandin again, Indra, skilled in combat, [resumed fighting].

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A tumultuous duel took place between the gods and the pramathas. / Crushed by the gods, all those pramathas fled from the battle.

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Seeing the gaṇas turn their backs, all the diseases / born of Rudra's anger also fled from the gods.

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Seeing the gods afflicted by fevers, Viṣṇu, as if laughing, / captured those gods alive, one by one.

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Then, having summoned the divine Aśvins to destroy the diseases, / the highly intelligent [Viṣṇu] attentively paid wages to both of them, counting it out.

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Then, seizing all the fevers, deliria, and other afflictors of creatures, / those two Aśvins, filled with joy, / freed the gods from fever and rejoiced for a long time.

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They conquered the circle of yoginīs and threw Bhairava into disarray. / With sharp-pointed arrows, they also struck down the troops of bhūtas.

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Seeing the army routed by the gods and fallen upon the earth, / Vīrabhadra, filled with wrath, addressed Viṣṇu with these words:

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"You are a hero, O mighty-armed one; you are indeed the protector of the gods! / Fight with me diligently, if such is your desire!"

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Having said this, approaching Viṣṇu, the lord of all lords, / the mighty Vīrabhadra showered him with sharpened arrows.

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Then the Blessed One struck Vīrabhadra with his discus. / Seeing the discus approaching, he swallowed it that very moment.

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Seeing the discus swallowed, Viṣṇu, the conqueror of enemy citadels, / stroked his face, and Viṣṇu caused it to be vomited forth again.

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Taking his discus, the glorious sole master of the worlds then departed to heaven, / and knowing all this, the capable Viṣṇu [knew] that an unbearable deed had been done by the enemies.

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Thus ends the fourth chapter, named 'Description of the Battle of Vīrabhadra and Others with Viṣṇu and Others', in the Kedārakhaṇḍa of the first [section], the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand [verses].

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit