Skandapurana 7.7

English (machine translation) 7.7

Language: English

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Then the army of the chiefs of the Dānavas set forth to destroy the world, / crowded with rutting elephants and surrounded by chariots and horses.

That army of the Dānavas then spread in every direction, / like the water of the ocean stirred up by the wind at the dissolution [of the world]. // Some slew the brahmins, some crushed the Vaiśyas, / others overpowered the Kṣatriyas, and others devoured the Śūdras.

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The enemies of the immortals swallowed down, licked up, roared, and broke in pieces everywhere / the food at sacrifices, the eaters of oblation, and the sacrificial posts.

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Resounding with the recitation of properly studied Vedas, their shrubs and trees frequented by eminent sages, / with abundant heaps of bark garments, black antelope skins, and darbha grass, with cool mountain torrents flowing abundantly at their margins, // filled at their edges with wild rice and gavedhuka grass, with deer, bears, and monkeys sleeping in trust, / shrouded with canopies of smoke from the sacrificial fire—other [demons] spread out and utterly destroyed the hermitages.

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Seizing the sages' matted locks, which shone like the skins of old serpents / and had been washed with the water of sacred fords, some Asuras tore them out. // 110 ...ttamāṅgo (? .

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1 mattairāvaṇasambādha — [ms.] gha. 2 ...kalitaṃ balam — [ms.] gha. 3 tattathā — [ms.] gha. 4 daśa — [ms.] gha. 5 ccikṣipuśca diśo daśa — [ms.] gha. 6 babhañjire (?). 7 jagrasu — [ms.] gha. 8 bahirdānān — [ms.] ka. 9 upāttanīvāragavedhukācitān — [ms.] kha. 10

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havirbhujāṃ (? . 11 parijaghnurāśramān — [ms.] kha. 12 ...miva dvipa (ā). — [ms.] kha. / 349

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Throwing the seers to the earth, some Asuras trampled them underfoot, / like blazing fires, to their own destruction.

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The vilest of Dānavas touched with their hands and palms the heads / of the wives of the sages, purified by sacred waters. // Then, knowing their own prosperity, they undertook the expedition, / having summoned from all sides the army deployed for the destruction of the world.

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On an auspicious day, asterism, and victory-bringing muhūrta, / they sounded the war drums and performed the victory-bringing rites.

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Bringing up the excellent elephants that were strong, noble, and fit to be armoured, / and properly worshipping the armour, the Asuras fastened it according to rule.

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They bound engines filled with polished iron arrows on both sides of the seat, / and bamboo tubes filled with javelins, placed crosswise.

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And the men appointed bound javelins, kaṇapas, spikes, / tridents, discuses, and battle-axes on the sides of the middle seat.

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[They prepared] ready supreme weapons, and well-adorned quivers / filled with fragrant garments and sharp-pointed arrows.

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On the neck-chains they placed iron goads ready for armor, shining like the crescent moon, / bright between the two frontal globes of the head.

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And the elephant-riders bound upon the frontal globes of the elephants / an auspicious, fitted garland shaped like razor-pointed blades, made of gold.

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And the ready Dānavas raised manifold, clearly visible victory banners / of the elephant division.

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Loud-sounding bells were fastened to the chief elephants, / along with very long chowries, radiant like the rays of a swan.

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And for each one, four fair-looking cow-elephants / were placed in front by the Daityas to ward off enemy elephants.

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Young horses mounted by young men, trained by experts in weapons, / armored and clad in iron chain-mail, they placed in the vanguard.

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Armored foot-soldiers, their cuirasses fastened, wielding sharp swords, / were placed in front of them, followed by archers; / then other Daitya warriors, armored and clad in iron chain-mail, / their swords strapped on, mounted horses that had bathed and drunk.

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Some then yoked chariots with well-trained, young horses, / bathed, decorated with auspicious marks, and born of the finest stock.

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Some then mounted chariots adorned with gold, / furnished with weapons, bearing banners, and resounding with clusters of tinkling bells. / Having heard that the army was thus arranged, saluted by the army, / Sunda, that tiger among Dānavas, set forth, having performed auspicious rites.

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Having mounted a divine chariot with fine pole, good yoke, and sound axle, made of gold, / adorned with diverse jewels and decorated with artistic figures of flowers, beasts, and birds, / yoked with exceedingly spirited horses swift as thought, / and beautified with banners and flags,

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armored, with his sword buckled on, white chowries waved over him, / and being praised on all sides by sūtas, māgadhas, and bards,

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Nisunda also quickly set forth, having mounted a war-elephant / upon whose rut-darkened temples swarmed six-legged bees.

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And other Dānavas there, mounted on chariots, horses, and elephants, / set forth in great joy, skilled in warfare and firmly armored.

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Placing the great Asura Tārakākṣa at the head of the army, / accompanied by many heroic warriors in chariots, on elephants, horses, and foot,

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and quickly stationing the great Asura Mahiṣa, mad with strength, / as the rear-guard with a fourfold army behind him; / and having posted on both flanks Meghasvana and Mahāsvana, / two proud Dānavas, slayers of foes, with a mighty army;

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in the center were Sunda, Nisunda, Maya, Śambhu, Khara, and Mura, / armored, mighty, and heroic, tearers of enemy ranks. / Fully prepared, those foremost of Dānavas set forth toward heaven / like the dissolution-clouds driven by the wind at the end of an aeon.

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Knowing of their approach, Śatakratu, along with the dwellers of heaven, / fled and quickly went to Janasthāna. / Having ascended the peak of Meru, all together then, / those enemies of the gods encamped their army in the Nandana grove.

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Then, having posted guards for the army on every side, / the Daitya lords took up spacious, divided quarters.

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Then, having received permission from the foremost Dānavas, all the Dānavas / removed their armor and all their equipment at that time.

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Mounted on young cow-elephants, the soldiers of the rutting tuskers / slowly took off their armor, quickly removing their weapons.

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Then the Dānavas’ soldiers removed their gear, took off their cuirasses, / and took off their diverse body-armors.

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[Variants:] 37 tārakākhyaṃ - gha. 38 balena ca turaṅgeṇa - ka. kha. 39

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[Variants:] pārirakṣiṇam - ka., parirakṣiṇam - kha. gha. 40 ... stasya - kha. 41

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[Variants:] guptau - ka. gha. 42 .. nivāraṇā - ka. kha. 43 nirjaradvijaḥ - (ṣaḥ) - gha. 44 daityāste - gha. 45 sarvataḥ - ka. gha. 46 ... vāsaṃ - ka. kha., vāsāste - gha. 47 ... jagakanyāsu - ka. 48 ... nyupanītāni - kha. 49 parininyuśca - gha. 50 vicitrāṇi - kha. gha.

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Some Dānava soldiers tied to the wishing-trees the elephants / whose girths were removed, which had bathed, drunk, and were relieved of fatigue.

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Some mighty elephants, upon whom six-legged bees clung due to rut-fluid, / broke the wishing-trees, frightening, maddening, and scattering the birds.

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Some mighty elephants rubbed their temples, darkened with rut-fluid, / against the wishing-trees where rows of bees clung to the flowers.

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Some rutting elephants plunged into the river Mandākinī, / whose banks were yellow with the filaments of golden water-lilies.

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Having removed the mail of battle-armor, the grooms tied up the horses separately, / their minds content, their bodies rubbed down, their thirst quenched, and their fatigue removed.

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Then they brought fine garments and splendid variegated garlands, / and sweet fruits from the wish-fulfilling trees.

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Their forms reddened by its pollen, some joyful Dānavas / entered the river Mandākinī and plucked golden lotuses.

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Some soldiers brought heaps of mandāra flowers; / others fetched many sweet fruits.

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Having spent one night there, the Dānavas, beating their drums, / proceeded with the same discipline, fully prepared, toward Amarāvatī.

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Then, at the sound of the musical instruments, the trumpeting of the elephants, / and the lion-roars of the Daityas, Amarāvatī seemed to tremble.

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Then, seeing the city deserted, the best of the Dānavas / were exceedingly joyful, and roaring with a terrifying sound, spoke thus:

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Victorious is the enemy of the gods, the lion among Daitya lords, Sunda,

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With hard, charming arms and a broad, stout chest, / the conqueror of Śatamakhu's city, with eyes lovely, wide, and long,

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Roaring like a raincloud, striding like an elephant in rut!

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Next to him is victorious [he] whose wide, charming eyes are red at the corners,

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With the playful gait of a lion, unassailable in battles, / the conqueror of the best among the thirty [gods], the Dānava lord Nisunda,

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Sounding like a beaten muraja drum, with thick, long, and massive arms!

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Thus ends the sixty-first chapter, entitled “The Entry into Amarāvatī,” in the Skandapurāṇa.

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Sanatkumāra said:

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Then, having conquered heaven, the two valorous Daitya lords, / accompanied by the Daityas, went to the Vindhya, that lofty mountain.

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Having honored the Daityas according to rule and dismissed them, the two brothers / then disported on the slopes of the Vindhya, on peaks with blossoming trees.

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Then Brahmā, learning of the gods' defeat by the two Daityas, / reflected with single-minded focus on the means to slay them both.

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Taking a particle from each jewel, he fashioned a lovely-looking woman / with desirable limbs and a sweet voice.

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And the Grandfather gave her the name Tilottamā. / She shone then as the very ideal even for divine women.

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Her face was utterly complete, her eyes surpassed the blue lotus, / her speech excelled the cry of the swan, her gait outshone an elephant in rut.

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Seeing her, Lakṣmī covered her face bashfully with a lotus; / and with their forms, the deities of the garden were humbled by that fair-limbed woman.

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[Variant readings]

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[Variant readings]
354

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Having created her, the Creator then spoke to the subduer of Pāka: / “Formerly, Madana was burned by Śambhu with the fire of his eye.

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For his resurrection, let us all go to the side of the wielder of the Pināka; / having propitiated him, we shall act so that Madana may exist again.”

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Then the enemies of the Asuras, together with Brahmā and with her, / went to the peak of the Vindhya mountain where the Blessed Lord Hara resides.

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Not seeing Śarva there, those best of the gods meditated, / all reciting the Praṇava, with their minds surrendered to Śiva.

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Then a liṅga arose in the midst of those heaven-dwellers, / compact and very cohesive, like an accumulation of fires. / Then from it a voice arose aloud, with clear syllables: / “That sinner, a thorn in the side of ascetics, was burned by me.

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For your sake I will release him; he will accomplish your business. / And let this woman circumambulate me clockwise on all sides.”

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Thus spoken to by the Great Lord, she circumambulated him clockwise, / placing on her head her folded hands, delicate as red lotuses.

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She bowed then to the eastern face, and thereupon a face emerged, / three-eyed, with serene bimba-fruit lips, immeasurably brilliant and lovely. / Then a splendor, shining like the autumn sun, issued from the moon-like face / of the wielder of the Pināka, and swiftly entered that woman.

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Then that lovely-looking woman bowed to the southern form; / thereupon the blazing face of the guru of the gods emerged from it,

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Possessing the luster of a cloud languid with its burden of rain, with a dreadful sound, / gleaming with fierce fangs, its eyes blazing red at the corners.

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[Variant readings]

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Then a splendor surpassing the sun, issuing from that southern face, / was seen by all the gods and entered that best of women. / Then she straightway bowed to his western form;

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Thereupon his incomparable three-eyed face emerged.

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Then a splendor issuing from the moon-like face of the enemy of Madana, / blazing, swiftly entered that same best of women. / Approaching the northern form, she bowed with folded hands; / his face, utterly complete and very serene, came forth.

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Issuing from it, a splendor with the brilliance of the sun and blazing fire / swiftly entered that very woman of excellent complexion. / Four faces of the God of gods emerged in the directions / for the accomplishment of the purpose of the gods, not out of wonder at her beauty.

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By means of that splendor belonging to himself, which, having formerly burned Madana, was stored [in him], / the Lord of gods favored that best of women.

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And Śiva spoke these words to all the gods there:
“O best of gods, because she circumambulated me and all of you
in a circle (maṇḍala), therefore this place of mine
on the Vindhya mountain will be known as Maṇḍaleśvara.

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Whoever performs circumambulation around this Maṇḍaleśvara,
by him the earth of seven islands has been circumambulated.
Indeed, granting boons, I shall always establish my presence here.
Having beheld Maṇḍaleśvara, the Lord, a restrained man,

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obtaining the fruit of a horse sacrifice, shall attain my realm.
Crowded with many siddhas, served by kinnaras and serpents,
and always joined by you, it will be dear to me.

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[Variant readings: 21 “tatastasmānmukhaṃ” - ms. gha; 22 “...rvadanatviṣaḥ” - ms. ka; 23 “tasmān” - ms. gha; 24 “sūryānalaprabhāmiva” - ms. gha; 25 This verse is seen in manuscript gha, but not “maṇ[ḍa]leśvaramīśānam”; 26 “varapradam” - ms. ka.]

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And this Tilottamā, O foremost of gods, for whose sake
she was created undisturbed by you, will accomplish your purpose.
Seeing her, those two daityas, bewildered and afflicted by love,
will destroy each other, and she will become

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unaging, immortal, the auspicious foremost of all apsarases,
and she will always be worthy of worship and praise in this place.”
Sanatkumāra said:

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When Maheśa had spoken thus, the gods, with highly delighted minds,
then sent forth that woman for the slaying of the two daityas.

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And Brahmā, whose vehicle is the lotus, gave her companions:
anger, arrogance, all the seasons, envy, and pride,

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time, death, delusion, and despair, he of boundless splendour.
Then, having sent forth that Tilottamā, the deities—
all those gods indeed assembled themselves into a group:
“Who has arrived here today, and which one [is he]?” O bulls among gods.

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Then, bowing again to the Supreme Lord who stood in their midst,
since he stood in the midst of the gods as they gathered together,
he then became known there as Piṇḍāreśvara.
A man, having beheld the Lord Piṇḍāreśvara with devotion,

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freed from all misfortune, upon the dissolution of the body becomes a gaṇa.
Whatever liṅgas and four-faced shrines there are on earth—
[Variant readings: 27 “hyamarā” - ms. gha; 28 “evamuktā” - ms. gha; 29 “śaṃsayāmāsu” - ms. gha; 30 “krodhadarpādikān sarvān” - ms. gha; 31 “rāgaṃ madanameva ca” - mss. ka, kha; 32 “tadā” - ms. gha; 33 “ca” - ms. gha; 34]

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[Variant reading: “śubhāśubhavinirmukto” - ms. gha; 35]

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[Variant readings: “sarvāṇi” - mss. ka, kha; 36 “caturmukhāni me surāḥ” - ms. gha.]
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all of them indeed become beheld upon seeing this one.
Then all those deities, unwearied, having accomplished their purpose,

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bowed to the Supreme Lord and departed to their own abodes.
And she, whose face and eye-corners were lovely, with firm, elevated breasts,

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as if captivating the minds of the gods by her charms,
set forth toward the southern quarter where the two dānavas were.

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Rambling at the delightful foothills of the Vindhya whose peaks were sung by birds,
the two daitya chiefs saw her standing there,

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leaning against a blooming aśoka branch with frenzied bees,
wearing a variegated garment, with a jewelled girdle fastened,
singing sweetly, passionately, evenly, softly, and clear,
properly adorned with high, low, and very high notes,

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like the perfection of austerity in visible form, like Lakṣmī embodied,
like Rati herself arrived in person, like the radiance of the moon.
“She is mine alone!” “She is mine alone!” So crying, those two best of dānavas
rushed forward and seized the goddess simultaneously by her hands.

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Then, their minds possessed by pride, infatuation, wrath, and jealousy,
those two foremost of asuras became exceedingly enraged at each other.

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Antaka, Time, and Death swiftly entered into their two clubs.
Then, raising their clubs, enraged, they struck each other.

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Then, violently struck there each by a single blow,
dejected, with all limbs shattered, bewildered by Śiva’s curse,

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[Variant readings: 37 “pīnotthitapayodharā” - mss. ka, kha; 38 “āpikṣantī ca” - mss. ka, gha; 39]

7.7.51

[Variant readings: “vidrumaistadā” - ms. gha; 40 “...stataḥ” - ms. gha; 41 “...mālambya (mba)” - ms. ka, “...mānasyā” - ms. gha; 42 “samadakaguṇyā” - ms. gha; 43 “mamaivaiṣā” - ms. gha; 44 “mamaiveti” - ms. gha; 45 “dānavau rūpamohitau” - ms. gha, “tau tadā dānavottamau” - ms. gha; 46 “ca tāṃ” - ms. gha, “śubhāṃ” - ms. ka; 47 “svayaṃ” - ms. ka; 48 “tayordaṃ (rde)hentakaḥ” - ms. gha; 49 “yatha tvaikena” - ms. kha; 50 “viṣaṇṇāsdhitasarvāṅgau” - ms. ka, “visaṃjñau” - ms. gha; 51]

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[Variant reading: “śirasā parimauhitau” - ms. gha.]
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unconscious, they fell to the ground like trees cut down at the root.
Then there went forth, their minds stricken by desire,

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the two souls of those chiefs of dānavas along with their semen.
Those two souls of the wicked-minded ones, having gone forth there,

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immediately became two strong boys with lovely limbs.
One boy there said: “I am Śumbha to my enemies!”

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“And I am Niśumbha!” the other boy said there then.
Then the Vindhya mountain, having approached those two boys of boundless splendour,

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instructed his wife: “Protect these two children.”
Then both those sons of the dānava lords grew up there,

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just like the moon and the ocean together at the end of the dark fortnight.
And those two tamers of foes, having then understood their birth from the dānavas,

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performed very severe austerity, feeding on leaves, water, and wind.
Worshipped by them with austerity, the Lord came there and said:

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“I am pleased with you two, my sons. What boon shall I give?”
The two heroes chose a boon: to be always unvanquished and invulnerable to death.

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Hearing their prayer, the grandfather [Brahmā] replied:
"O sons, death is inevitable for both of you by one means or another.

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O lords of Daityas, immortality exists nowhere apart from the gods."
When Brahmā had spoken thus, the two Dānavas chose a boon,

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both having firmly resolved, their bodily hair bristling with joy:
"O Grandfather, except for that maiden who is the Mother of the Universe,
may there never be, O Lord, death or defeat for the two of us!"
Having said to those two sons of the Daitya king, "So be it,"

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[Critical apparatus: variants]

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the creator of the entire world vanished right there.
Then, ceasing their fierce austerity, having performed auspicious rites,
wearing crowns, clad in mail, adorned with necklaces and armlets,
their limbs smeared with yellow sandalwood, dressed in yellow silk garments,

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the two best of Dānavas roamed the delightful plateaus of the Vindhya.
Hearing of the attainment of the boon from the Grandfather by Śumbha and Niśumbha,

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the Dānavas dwelling in the subterranean realm of Pātāla came forth rejoicing:
Śambhu, Maya, Ghana, Keśin, Naraka, Namuci, Druma,

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and millions of other proud enemies of the gods who had survived slaughter.
All those Dānavas, assembled together, settled on the Vindhya plateau,

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strewn with heaps of flowers from various trees, creepers, and shrubs,
armed with bows, girded with swords, adorned with colorful ornaments,

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like rain-clouds in the sky bearing Indra's rainbows and lightning.
Then the Dānava Maya spoke there to the two foremost Dānavas:

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"Formerly, the entire threefold world was enjoyed by your two fathers.
Why is it not taken back again by both of you now, O Daityas?

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Having conquered in the vanguard of battle all the gods assembled together,
those very enemies of the gods who were allies of your two fathers,

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the very same, intoxicated with power, are your allies in battle."
When the lord of Daityas, Maya, had spoken thus, the great Asura Śumbha,
gazing at the face of Niśumbha, then spoke these words:
"O Daityas, dividing among yourselves the entire earthly realm at present,

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we shall conquer all the gods in the vanguard of battle."
Then that best of Asuras took Jambudvīpa for himself.

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[Critical apparatus: variants]
360

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He gave Śākadvīpa to his younger brother Niśumbha;
the lord gave Śālmalidvīpa and Gomedadvīpa to the Dānavas;

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and he bestowed Krauñcadvīpa and Kuśadvīpa upon the Daityas.
The Daitya lord offered Puṣkaradvīpa to the descendant of Bhṛgu.
Having thus quickly divided the entire earthly realm at that time,
worship, folded-hand salutations, all sacrifices, and reverential offerings—

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having seized these from the gods, the Daityas and Dānavas took them.
Then there took place a sacrifice of the great-souled Kaśyapa;
approaching that sacrifice then, the enemies of the gods trampled it:

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"Our sovereignty indeed extends over the entire earth now, O Kaśyapa.
You ought to sacrifice to us in this sacrifice under all circumstances!"
Addressed thus by the Daityas, Kaśyapa the son of Marīci then
spoke these grave and meaningful words, as if smiling:

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"Having made the threefold world your own and having conquered all the gods in battle,
then, O Daityas, you will be worthy to receive all the sacrificial shares!"
Spoken to thus by him at that time, those best of Daityas and Dānavas,

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gathering all their army and performing the rites pertaining to war,
having observed traditional ceremonies at auspicious lunar hours, asterisms, and days,
those Daityas and Dānavas set out with chariots, elephants, and horses.
Properly arranging protection behind, ahead, and on both flanks,

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prepared for battle, they marched, desiring to conquer the gods.
Learning of the approach of those enemies,

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who were banded together and desiring to conquer heaven in battle, Pākaśāsana [Indra], fully prepared,
having made every defensive fortress arrangement in his own city,

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[Critical apparatus: variants]

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[Critical apparatus: variants]

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361

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at an auspicious lunar day, asterism, hour, and division of the day,
having duly worshipped the sages and bowed down to Pinākin [Śiva],

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set forth together with all the hosts of gods, having performed auspicious rites.
Mounting Airāvata, the elephant resembling the peak of the Himālaya,

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having four tusks, constantly showering streams of rut-fluid,
under a large, radiant, raised umbrella held [aloft],

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with a golden shaft and encircled by rays of gems,
fanned with fly-whisks spotless like a mass of rays of the autumn moon,

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their inner parts inlaid with a multitude of rays from gem-encrusted handles,
magnified by the sages with blessings and cries of "Victory!"

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and praised on all sides by bards, heralds, and panegyrists,
then, in an extensive, level space devoid of trees,

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Bṛhaspati arranged the lotus battle-formation for the gods,
placing Śatakratu [Indra] together with the Maruts in the pericarp.

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And on the petals he placed the Vasus, the Rudras, and the Ādityas, / and on the filaments Yama, Kāla, as well as Kubera and Varuṇa.

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On the stalk the Preceptor stationed Ananta together with the Nāgas, / and the other gods assembled alongside an army of Rākṣasas and Gandharvas.

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Then around the lotus he arranged the lake. / Hearing the roar of the Dānavas' musical instruments, the gods

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delightedly struck their kettledrums and sounded their war-cries in multitude. / Hearing the shouts of the gods mingled with the sound of musical instruments,

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the Dānava lords made ready and exerted themselves to the utmost. / Then, beholding that lotus battle-array of the gods,

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[Apparatus readings: 87 puṇye ca — kha; 88 tithinakṣatre — kha; 89 muhūrte — kha; 90 ca saḥ — (?); 91 hemadaṇḍena — kha, gha; 92 mūrdhani — ca; 93 athākāśe suvistīrṇe — gha; 94 prativyūha — gha; 95 śatakratuḥ — ka, gha; 96 mayaṃ — ka; 97 nali — ka, nāle samupakalpayat — gha; 98 puraḥsarān — ka, gha, purastātsa — kha; 99 saritaḥ — ka; 100 vimiśra — gha; 101 nādaṃ — gha; 102 saṃyatau — gha.]

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362

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the ones of boundless might asked Bhārgava there about breaking it. / Asked by the foremost Dānavas how to breach the battle-array, the wise Bhārgava, / undaunted, reflected and then spoke thus to the Asuras: / 'Scattered all around like masses of frost,

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destroy completely the lotus battle-array of the lords of the gods, O enemies of the gods!' / Having been thus addressed by the noble Bhārgava, the Daityas

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roared a lion-roar and swiftly rushed forth from all sides. / Then the battle commenced between the armies of the gods and Dānavas, / striking each other down with various sharp weapons: / horsemen against horsemen, elephants against elephants, and chariots against chariots.

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Proud foot-soldiers fought in battle against proud foot-soldiers. / Some were pierced through by iron shafts; others were cut down by battle-axes; / warriors of both armies fell lifeless. / 'Cleave! Pierce! Endure this! Halt, fool, where are you going?'—

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such were the fierce shouts uttered by the warriors in battle. / Drenched in fat and blood, crowded with armor and shields, / and piled with fallen elephants and horses, such became the battlefield. / Then, being oppressed there by those Dānavas, the gods,

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wounded and mostly slain, took refuge with Śakra alone, / the chief Nāgas with Ananta, and the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas with Kubera. / When the battle-array of the gods was broken, the Daityas and Dānavas rejoiced.

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Roaring loud lion-roars and repeatedly striking their drums, / they rushed prepared in battle against the slayer of Pāka. / Thereupon, raising up his elephant, Śakra with his hundred-jointed thunderbolt, / [Apparatus readings: 103 menākulam — kha; 104 vistīrṇāḥ — kha; 105 patataḥ — ka; 106 tuṣāreṇa himāgame — kha; 107 hataṃ — gha, hatā — kha, hatāḥ — ka; 108 stadā — kha; 109 siṃhanādān — gha; 110 bhyapetya ca — gha; 111 saṃyuyu... — kha; 112 rbahavo — gha; 113 rudāhṛtāḥ — gha; 114 saṃsaktaṃ — ka; 115 ?; 116 te dānavaistatra — ka, kha; 117 saṃśrayuḥ — ka, saṃśritāḥ — kha, gha; 118 vadantyuccai — gha.]

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enraged, pulverized the Daitya and Dānava army. / The slayer of Pāka burned the Dānavas all around, / like a blazing fire burning dry underbrush in the summer season. / Then Śumbha, drawing near, said to Śakra in the combat:

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'You have been seen by me today, O Śakra! You will not return alive!' / Then Brahmā, having arrived, spoke thus to the foremost gods: / 'The Daityas are not to be fought, O gods! The enemies of the gods are unslayable by you! / The Daityas of immense might must not be fought, must not be fought, O gods!

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For these enemies of the gods have previously obtained boons and cannot be slain.' / Hearing his words, all the gods then vanished, / leaving the battlefield swiftly together with their armies and mounts.

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Then the Daityas, immensely rejoiced, beat their drums repeatedly, / roared loudly, and spoke these words, glorious in battle:

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'In the darkness of dust crushed beneath the rims of horses' hooves,

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while the infantry ranks cower at the roar of elephants and chariots, / devoid of fear and despondency in combat, the lion-like Śumbha

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triumphs, conqueror of the gods, roaring deeply like a rain-cloud! / Next to him triumphs the lion-like Niśumbha—of long and plump arms, of broad, radiant, elevated, and compact chest, / having the gait of the king of beasts, roaring like a thundercloud, victorious in the great battle!'

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Thus ends the sixty-second chapter, entitled 'The Victory of Śumbha and Niśumbha' in the war between the gods and Asuras, in the Skandapurāṇa.

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[Apparatus readings: 119 patitaḥ — gha; 120 śuṣkakāṣṭhamivānalaḥ — gha; 121 tuṣṭosmyadya — gha; 122 sa — kha; 123 tvaṃ kva yāsyasi — kha; 124 sarvaśaḥ — gha; 125 samarapālinaḥ — ka; 126 kṣiptareṇvandhakāre — ka; 127 pādātivṛnde — ka; 128 na surasamare (?) — .]

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[Manuscript kha variant reading: 129 'Next triumphs Niśumbha, tall, with plump arms, thighs, and feet, with a broad, radiant, and fine chest, raised shoulders, and handsome eyes; walking like the king of beasts, sounding with the roar of a rain-cloud, conqueror in the battle of the gods, lord of the Daityas.']

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[Manuscript gha variant reading: 'Next triumphs the wise Niśumbha, destroyer of the fear of Diti's lineage, lord of the Daityas, ruler of Asuras, with plump arms, thighs, and chest; graceful in the gait of the king of beasts, long-eyed, broad, with an expansive and splendid forehead, lord of the Daityas.']

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[Apparatus readings: 130 asuravijayo nāma — gha; 364.]

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Then, having vanquished the gods in battle, those enemies of the gods / came together to the Vindhya [range], whose peaks were enveloped in clouds. // Having dismissed all the Daityas and Dānavas in accordance with the proper rites, / the two took delight together on the Vindhya, whose caves resounded with the songs of the Kinnaras.

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Their guard there, a great Asura named Mūka, / beheld the Goddess on the mountain peak, blazing, as it were, with fiery splendour, // endowed with every auspicious mark and adorned with sacred ornaments,

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like the fruit of meritorious deeds arrived in visible form.

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Then Mūka, his eyes wide open with wonder upon seeing the Goddess, / turned his mind to Śumbha, the best of Dānavas: // 'Just as she, beautiful in every limb, is foremost among all women, / so is this Śumbha, the moon among the lords of the Daityas, foremost among men.

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For him of broad chest, she with ample hips / would be a worthy wife—she of dark eyes for him of long eyes.' // Reflecting thus in his mind, he spoke to the slender-waisted lady: / 'Who are you, you with eyes like a frightened, startled fawn?

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Who is your father, faultless one, or who is your mother, sinless lady? / And why do you dwell here on this mountain frequented by Dānavas?' / Addressed in this way by Mūka, the sovereign Goddess of great yoga, / knowing in her mind that the time for Śumbha and Niśumbha had arrived,

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spoke these words with a smile, skilled in speech: / 'Know me to be a mortal woman who has made her home on this mountain.

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My father was the wise Ātreya, a dweller in the sphere of the planets, who has gone to heaven. / Leaving me as a young girl in this place, my mother too followed her husband.

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[Critical notes on 1–15]

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365

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I was instructed then by my mother, having given me weapons, O Dānava: / "Dwell on the delightful Vindhya mountain and always practice yoga." // Obedient to the word of that noble lady on this best of mountains, / I dwell [here], frequented by lions, tigers, elephants, and deer.'

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Hearing these words of the Goddess, Mūka, rejoicing in his heart, / hastened to behold Śumbha, the best of the Dānavas. // Approaching Śumbha with his eyes wide with joy, / he described, as it were through gestures, the sight of an unprecedented jewel [of a woman]:

Linked texts (1)

Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit