Mudgalapurana 6.34: kāmāsuravicāravarṇanaṃ nāma catustriṃśattamo'dhyāyaḥ

Homage to holy Gaṇeśa.

The Primordial Power said:
Certain asuras with severed limbs, terrified,
went to the mighty Kāmāsura, and seeing him, reported that occurrence:

The Daityas said:
Why do you stand [idle], O Great King? The Daityas have died in the great battle!
Your two sons have been slain there; go for refuge to the lord of obstacles!

Otherwise, indeed, there will be the total uprooting of the Daitya clans!
Hearing their words, Kāmāsura fell into a faint.

Brought back to consciousness by the Daityas, filled with fear, he wept.
His body tormented by sorrow, he set his mind on slaying the gods.

Taking up hosts of weapons, he mounted his chariot.
Taking the remaining army, he advanced before Vikaṭa.

Seeing that supreme, great warrior Kāmāsura arrived upon the battlefield,
the gods, filled with fear, spoke these words to Vikaṭa:

The illustrious Kāmāsura himself has arrived, O Lord!
Now do what you will do, O Lord of the Gaṇas!

Then, filled with wrath, Vikaṭa replied to the gods:
Free from fear, O great lords, fight through my grace!

Hearing his words, the immortals headed by Śambhu and Viṣṇu,
roaring dreadfully like clouds, advanced toward him with weapons in hand.

To Maheśa and the others who had arrived, the Daitya leader, the slayer of gods,
filled with great wrath, spoke to the gods.

Kāmāsura said:
O Śambhu, O Viṣṇu, and other lords of gods, now listen to my words!
What dreadful enmity have you committed, consisting in the slaying of my sons?

Filled with affection, I did not slay the lords of gods before;
I was filled with compassion, and this supreme reward has been given by the gods!

Now, filled with wrath, I will slay the lords of the gods,
having slain Vikaṭa, the lord of gods, the sages, and the best rulers of gods!

Having spoken thus, the Daitya leader readied his bow.
Then Śaṅkara, gathering his courage, spoke words to him.

Śrī Śaṅkara said:
O great Daitya, formerly everything of ours was seized by you;
dharma was destroyed, and the three worlds were forcibly oppressed.

You have received the fruit of that, O lord of Daityas, without a doubt.
Through Vikaṭa's grace, I shall slay you, O best of the wicked!

[Section 6, Chapter 34, page 98] Hearing Śiva's words, the great asura, filled with wrath,
struck him with his mace and struck Śaṅkara down.

Seeing Śaṅkara fallen, Keśava hurled his discus;
reaching Kāmāsura, it became utterly fruitless.

Then Kāma, filled with wrath, took up his bow,
and having strung it, showered great arrows profusely like a cloud.

Felled by those arrows, the chief gods fell to the earth's surface;
their limbs severed and robbed of strength, they then fell into a faint.

Then all the Dānavas headed by Bali, maddened by battle,
filled with anger, struck the gods there on all sides.

Viṣṇu struck Kāma with exceedingly terrible arrows;
that son of Diti also knocked him who has Garuḍa on his banner into a faint.

Then, casting off his faint, Śaṅkara fought fiercely.
With Kāmāsura, the king of Daityas struck him with a blow of his sword.

Even then, Śiva, the cause of destruction, did not waver at all.
Then Viṣṇu rose up and fought together with the Dānavas.

Rāvaṇa was severely struck by the Sun with an arrow-blow;
and Durmada—both [asuras] fell upon the surface of the earth, O goddess.

Mahiṣa, Kumbhakarṇa, Śaṅkara, and Bali,
struck down by Viṣṇu with the blow of his discus, fell into a faint.

Then Govinda struck down the Dānavas vehemently with his discus.
Crying 'Alas, alas!', all the gods fled in the ten directions.

Seeing that supreme wonder, Kāmāsura was greatly astonished;
filled with rage, he seized Maheśāna and dashed him down.

Seizing Viṣṇu, he hurled him onto the summit of a great mountain;
seizing the Sun, the cruel one dashed him to the ground.

Then all the gods, raising a cry of 'Alas, alas!' and distressed by fear,
fled, their limbs hacked and broken, afflicted by Kāmāsura.

Seeing the strength of the Daitya king, Vikaṭa himself was delighted;
mounting upon his mouse, he set forth for the sake of battle.

The powerful Kāmāsura, looking upon him as he arrived,
his eyes reddened with anger, yet filled with fear, spoke:

Kāmāsura said:
O Mayūreśa, why have you come to battle with me?
Sitting upon a mouse, you are considered by me to be like a rodent!

My two sons of great valor were slain by you, O Gajānana;
tormented by sorrow for them, I will slay you along with your mouse!

Though prayed to by the gods, what will you do? Tell me!
By the mere knitting of my brows the moving and unmoving world trembles!

O Gajānana, of those who cause creation, preservation, and destruction,
even endowed with those [powers], I shall never have any fear!

Embodied one, O Gaṇādhyakṣa, what will you do, like a fool?
Filled with ignorance, you shall die before me!

Having heard the words of Kāmāsura, Gaṇapati himself,
with a smiling face, spoke to him who was full of pride:

You are utterly foolish, O Kāma! Consider: I am Vikaṭa!
Deity without birth or death, how will you slay me, O great villain?

I am not the creator of creation, preservation, and destruction, O eminent Daitya!
If you desire to live, then go to me for refuge!

Otherwise I will slay you, an evildoer, without a doubt!
Cast off your pride, you great fool! I am Brahman, there is no doubt in this!

Everything was told by Śukra, yet you did not understand due to your foolishness—
(

[Section 6, Chapter 35, page 99] my true nature, O wicked one! Even now, go for refuge!

Hearing Vikaṭa's words, Kāmāsura became filled with rage,
and to slay him, he hurled a terrible mace.

That mace fell fruitless there upon the surface of the earth,
and suddenly the king of Daityas fell into a faint.

After an hour, the greatly cruel one regained consciousness;
powerless throughout his whole body, he experienced exceedingly terrible pain.

Then, pondering in his mind, the villain reflected:
'Oh! How did Vikaṭa strike me without a weapon?'

"I am utterly devoid of strength; how indeed shall I fight? / What was told by Śukra is true: this one is spoken of as having the form of Brahman."

"Even so, how can he be a supporter of the gods' side? / Therefore, filled with doubt, I will not go for refuge."

"I shall die, of this there is no doubt; that alone increases fame. / Seeking refuge with enemies does not appear fitting to my heart."

"Therefore, going to Vikaṭa, I shall ask a wonderful question: / If he is devoid of partiality toward the gods, then I shall go to him for refuge."

Om Tat Sat. Thus, in the glorious final Upaniṣad of the Purāṇas, the glorious and great Maudgala Purāṇa, in the sixth section, in the exploits of Vikaṭa, the thirty-fourth chapter, entitled 'The Consideration of Kāmāsura.'