Skandapurana 2.9.13
English (machine translation) 2.9.13
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Skanda said:
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Watching him being born, all those churners
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saw from afar Dhanvantari approaching near Śrī.
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Seeing the golden jar filled with nectar held in his hand,
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the asuras leaped up suddenly, O brāhmaṇa, and seized it. // 2
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Even among them, those who were strong took it and ran away from there;
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the weak ones, running after them, tried to restrain them with words of righteous conduct: // 3
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'Ah, you who are devoted to dharma must not commit such unrighteousness!
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It must be drunk only after giving [a share] to the gods who exerted equal effort, and not otherwise.' // 4
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Disregarding that statement, they went far away in haste;
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even there, a great tug-of-war broke out among them: // 5
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'I first! I first! Not you! Not you! I shall drink!'
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Quarreling thus, they did not obtain a moment to consume it. // 6
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Then the gods, their faces withered upon seeing the nectar stolen by the daityas,
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being unable to counter it, sought refuge with Acyuta: // 7
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'Protect us, protect us, O Lord of the Universe! Our all has been lost!
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All the nectar has been seized by the daityas; what will become of our fate? // 8
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Even without drinking the nectar, they are fully capable of slaying us;
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if the nectar is drunk by them today, what shall we do?' // 9
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Skanda said:
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Hearing the distress of the gods, the Blessed Lord, who accomplishes the welfare of his devotees,
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said to the gods, 'Do not fear,' and desired to recover the nectar from the asuras. // 13.10
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Assuming a wondrous female form that bewitched all the worlds,
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he approached the daityas and played with a ball. // 11
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Beholding that form, captivated and overcome with desire,
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they ceased their mutual scuffle, approached her, and said these words: // 12
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'Take this jar of nectar, fair lady, and divide it among us;
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make all of us drink, O shapely-hipped woman; we are the sons of Kaśyapa.' // 13
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Having spoken thus, they gave it to her, even though the woman was unwilling.
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She said: 'You should not place trust in me, for I am a wanton woman. // 14
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You have indeed acted improperly; I will divide it according to my own wish.'
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Even when spoken to thus, those fools said, 'Do as you please.' // 15
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Then, by her command, all the gods, the daityas, and Vāsuki
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sat down there in rows, each resorting to their own group. // 16
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While they were engaged in forming rows, Mohinī, from a distance,
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sat down upon a golden seat facing the rows of the gods. // 17
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Placing the jar of nectar beside herself, with feminine grace,
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looking here and there, she sat for a moment as if indifferent. // 18
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Then the dānava troop-commanders, Vipracitti and the others,
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became suspicious of Mohinī because of her being near the gods. // 19
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Approaching stealthily and deceiving her gaze, the evil-minded ones,
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desiring to drink, stole the nectar jar again and went away in secret. // 13.20
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Nara and Nārāyaṇa, who had arrived there along with the munis,
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were present; the two saw those dānavas carrying off the nectar. // 21
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Prompted then by Nārāyaṇa, Nara suddenly blocked them;
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wresting that jar by force, he quickly gave it to Mohinī. // 22
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Then, desiring to kill Nara, the dānavas took up their weapons
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and rushed forward, and a great disruption of the rows occurred among the asuras. // 23
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Then the lord Nara, unconquerable even by gods, daityas, and men,
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fearless and mighty, fought alone against them. // 24
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Meanwhile Viṣṇu, in the form of Mohinī, moving swiftly,
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made the gods seated in their rows drink the nectar on all sides. // 25
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Even then, the dānava Rāhu, entering between the sun and the moon,
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sat unnoticed in the row of the deities. // 26
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When Mohinī came there and was pouring nectar into his mouth,
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both the sun and the moon indicated him to her with their gaze.
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With the discus that arrived upon His thought, right then,
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the Lord, in the form of the illusory woman, cut off his very large head along with the nectar.
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Resembling a mountain peak, swallowing the worlds, and roaring loudly,
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Hari placed it as a planet for the peace of the worlds.
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Having made the gods drink the nectar, the Lord
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assumed His male form; and then the gods fought with the Dānavas.
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On the shore of the ocean, a battle [took place] between the gods and the Asuras,
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[the gods] being exceedingly strong from drinking the nectar and aided by Viṣṇu.
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Being struck down in that tumultuous battle by Nara, Indra, and the others,
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the Asuras fled and entered Rasātala.
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Meanwhile, the sun set; then all the hosts of gods,
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celebrating the great festival of her darśana, approached Śrī.
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Thus ends the thirteenth chapter, titled 'Description of the Gods Drinking the Nectar', in the glorious Vāsudevamāhātmya of the second section, the Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand [verses].
Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit