Skandapurana 6.3.47

English (machine translation) 6.3.47

Language: English

6.3.47.1

The venerable Mārkaṇḍeya said:
"Then all the gods went to Brahmā for refuge, / on elephants resembling great mountains and horses resembling elephants,

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on chariots shaped like cities, yoked with lions and tigers, / and others on tortoises, buffaloes, and makaras.

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Having reached the world of Brahmā, the gods headed by Śakra / saw the lotus-born god and bowed down prostrate with all eight limbs.

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The gods said:
'Victory, O god, who are worshipped by the universe! Victory, O maker of worldly existence! / O lotus-born one, foremost among the gods, we have come to you alone for refuge!'

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Hearing the agitated speech of the gods, whose minds were distressed, / he spoke to the king of the gods in a voice deep like a thundercloud:

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'Why have you come here, O gods, all of you drained of colour? / By whom have you all been insulted? Tell me quickly yourself.'

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The gods said:
'A mighty great daitya named Andhaka, O lotus-born one, / has stripped all the hosts of gods of their wealth and jewels.

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Having struck down the hosts of gods with swords, discs, and battle-axes, / that Dānava has also seized the wife of Śakra and departed by force.'

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Hearing the words of the gods, Brahmā, the grandfather of the worlds, / deliberated, O king of kings, on the means for the slaying of that Dānava:

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'The wicked Dānava cannot be slain by any of you gods.
He [Viṣṇu] is the protector of all the worlds; no other exists anywhere.'

Having been thus addressed by Brahmā, the gods immediately thereafter, / placing Brahmā at their head, went to where Keśava was.
Brahmā and the others praised the wielder of the disc with various hymns.

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The gods said:
'Victory to you, O god of gods, who abide on Lakṣmī's breast! / O destroyer of asuras, O god of gods, we have come to you for refuge!'

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Praised by all the gods, with Brahmā at their head, Janārdana / became exceedingly joyful in heart and spoke to the company of gods.

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The venerable Vāsudeva said:
'Welcome to the gods and brahmins! The night has dawned auspiciously today.
State quickly what is to be done. Against whom are the gods enraged?

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What is the sorrow, and what is the distress? From where has fear come?
Let the illustrious ones declare the cause that is in your minds.

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He by whom this humiliation was done—let him go to Yama's abode today.'
Having been spoken to in this manner by Kṛṣṇa, they described it to him,

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showing their bodies, ashamed and with faces cast down:
'Our sovereignty has been taken away by Andhaka, and we have been stripped of our splendour, O Lord!'

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"Protect [us], O god, like a father his son; slay Indra's enemy along with his sons and grandsons!"
Addressed with "So be it" by [him] whose lotus feet are praised by gods and demons, who is seated on a lotus,

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the Supreme Lord grasped his conch, discus, mace, and bow,
and then rose up from his serpent-couch before the gods.

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The venerable Vāsudeva said:
"Whether he stays in Pātāla, or among mortals, or in heaven,
I will slay that wicked one by whom the gods have been tormented.

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Let the gods go to their own abode, satisfied, their radiance restored."
Having heard those words of Viṣṇu, those gods, Brahmā and the rest, along with Indra,

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bowed down to Hari and went to heaven in their own vehicles, pleased in heart.

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Thus ends the forty-seventh chapter, entitled 'Description of the Gods' Departure to Heaven,' in the Revākhaṇḍa of the fifth section, the Āvantyakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand [verses].

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit