Revākhaṇḍa ascribed to the Vāyupurāṇa (RKV) 48
English (machine translation) 48
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Contents
- 48.90 — 2 parts
48.1
Uttānapāda said: / In what place did that Andhaka, the foremost of Daityas, live, O God? / Having completely conquered all the gods, in what place did he reside?
48.2
The venerable Maheśa said: / Where the Dānava entered, I shall tell, O king: / taking refuge in the world of Pātāla, he violates maidens.
48.3
Knowing him to be situated there, Keśava took up his bow / and discharged a fiery arrow, thinking, 'Let him be burned!'
48.4
Being burned by the fire, he too fitted a water missile; / with that great water missile, the fiery one was then quenched.
48.5
Then he wondered: "By whom was this arrow discharged? / Whose manly power is this? Who will go to the abode of Yama?"
48.6
Then, enraged in battle, Andhaka went out along the path of the arrow; / along the path of the arrow, he saw Janārdana with bow in hand.
48.7
Andhaka said: / "You shall not find peace today, seen by my gaze; / you cannot escape, just as an elephant [cannot] at the sight of a tiger.
48.8
Just as a mouse comes as food for a cat, / so you cannot depart, standing before me.
48.9
I will send you on the very dreadful path of Yama; / indeed, I will search for and go to your home.
48.10
You have been brought by time into my battle, O Keśava! / Those Dānavas who were formerly conquered by you in large numbers,
48.11
they were not men, O Keśava, they were mere women! / Furthermore, I shall not fight a battle of weapons with you."
48.12
While the lord of Dānavas was speaking, Keśava did not become angry; / seeing him not fighting, the Dānava thought:
48.13
"I will fight a hand-to-hand duel"; having resolved thus, he fought, O king. / He was hurled with a foot by Kṛṣṇa and fell onto the surface of the earth.
48.14
In a moment, regaining his breath and rising, he reflected on this; / being unable to engage in hand-to-hand combat, he then employed conciliation: / folding his hands together, he bowed down in an eight-limbed prostration, purified.
48.15
Andhaka said: / "Victory to Kṛṣṇa, to Hari, to Viṣṇu, obeisance to the victorious one, / to Hṛṣīkeśa, the supporter of the universe, to Acyuta, the Great-souled One!
48.16
Homage to the lotus-naveled one, homage to the one adorned with a garland of lotuses, / to Janārdana, Lord of Śrī, O Lord of Lakṣmī, yellow-robed one!
48.17
Homage always to Govinda, homage to the one who reclines upon the ocean! / Homage to the dread-mouthed one, the roaring Narasiṃha!
48.18
To the bow-wielder, of white complexion, bearer of conch, discus, and mace, / homage to the dwarf-formed one; homage to you, whose form is the sacrifice!
48.19
Homage to the boar-formed one, and to the one who bestrode the three worlds, / pervading all directions! Homage, homage to Keśava!
48.20
O Vāsudeva, homage to you! Homage to the slayer of Kaiṭabha! / Abode of Lakṣmī, foremost of gods, homage to you, leader of the gods!
48.21
Even to those who place authority in Viṣṇu, the supreme God of gods, / Lord of creatures, sustainer of the world, I also bow down.
48.22
To those who offer salutation to Vāsudeva, the wise one, / God of all beings, I also bow down.
48.23
To those who offer salutation to that sacrificial boar, / to Viṣṇu of boundless splendor, I also bow down.
48.24
Homage, again and again, to the receptacle of virtues, / O ocean of compassion, O God, fond of all devotion!
48.25
The Blessed Lord said: / I am pleased with you, O lord of dānavas. Choose a boon as you desire. / Surely I shall give you a boon, even if it is difficult to attain in the three worlds.
48.26
Andhaka said: / If you are pleased with me, O God, and will grant me a desired boon, / then grant me, O God, a most splendid battle, / by which, purified by your hand, I shall go to the splendid worlds.
48.27
The Blessed Lord said: / How can I grant you a battle? For I have been pleased by you. / Anger cannot prevail against you. How can I fight you, O Andhaka?
48.28
If your mind is set on battle, without a doubt, / then go for battle against the god Maheśvara.
48.29
Andhaka said: / My purpose will not be achieved there against the god Maheśvara.
48.30
The Blessed Lord said: / Son, go to the peak and shake it with your strength.
48.31
When it is shaken, the Lord of gods will display terrible wrath; / enraged, Śaṅkara will grant you a fierce battle, O dānava.
48.32
By Viṣṇu’s word, that wicked one went where Maheśvara was; / having reached the peak of Kailāsa, he shook it again and again.
48.33
When the peak was shaken, the three worlds trembled; / the mountain-tops fell repeatedly, trembling violently.
48.34
The four oceans instantly merged into one, O king, / and meteors fell, along with many trees.
48.35
Accompanied by Umā, the God was filled with utter astonishment. / Clasping the God tightly, Girijā spoke these words:
48.36
Why does the mountain tremble? Why does the earth tremble? / Why does the realm of snakes, mortals, and the netherworld tremble? / Or is it the destruction of an age, O God? You ought to tell me that.
48.37
Īśvara said: / Who has had such bad judgment? A hand has been thrust into a snake's mouth, / and armor placed on the forehead! He shall go to the abode of Yama.
48.38
By whomsoever Kailāsa was assailed, by whomsoever I was woken while sleeping— / him I shall slay, there is no doubt, if he stands facing me.
48.39
The Lord of gods considered: “Surely this is Andhaka, without a doubt.” / He reflected upon an expedient by which he could be slain instantly.
48.40
All the gods arrived, Brahmā and the others along with the Vasus, / fashioning a chariot made of gods, endowed with all auspicious marks.
48.41
Some gods stood upon the wheel, some at the sides of the chariot-front, / some gods stood on the hub, and some stood on the yoke-horses;
48.42
some were motionless upon the shafts, some were stationed on the posts; / some were the chariot-pillars, some were the chariot-guards;
48.43
others were upon the crown, and others stood upon the pitcher— / a divine chariot, terrifying to the enemy, adorned with rows of banners and the like.
48.44
Having fashioned the chariot made of gods, the Guru of the universe mounted it / and set forth to where the dānava was, Maheśvara filled with fury.
48.45
He said: “Halt! Halt! Where will you flee, evil-minded one?” / Taking his bow in hand, he discharged arrows at the dānava.
48.46
When the dānava stood his ground in the battle, he sliced through those arrows with his own shafts; / with his bow, Andhaka was then covered right there.
48.47
Neither the sun was seen there, nor the sky, nor the moon. / The dānava then unleashed the fire-weapon against Śiva.
48.48
Being scorched by the fiery arrows, all the gods trembled: / “Protect us! Protect us, Mahādeva, from being burned by the dānava!”
48.49
Then that supreme God of gods, wielding the water-weapon, prevailed; / with the water-weapon, the fire-weapon was destroyed in an instant.
48.50
The wind-weapon was then released by the dānava on the battlefield, / and the water-weapon was destroyed, my dear, annihilated by the wind-weapon.
48.51
The God released the serpent-weapon, his mind filled with rage; / the wind was undoubtedly destroyed there by the serpent-arrows.
48.52
Then the dānava unleashed the Garuḍa-weapon with ease; / and seeing that Garuḍa-weapon, the serpent-weapon was seen no more.
48.53
Then the supreme God of gods released the man-lion weapon; / by the arrow of the man-lion weapon, the Garuḍa-weapon was neutralized.
48.54
Weapon was pacified by weapon, neither prevailing over the other; / a great battle ensued, my dear, terrifying to gods and asuras,
48.55
with discuses, reed-arrows, iron arrows, javelins, swords, and mallets, / with calf-tooth arrows, barbed arrows, and splendid Karṇikāra blossoms.
48.56
Thus the dānava could not be slain with various weapons; / then swords, iron arrows, and javelins, fierce with flames,
48.57
discharged in battle by the bull-bannered Lord against the dānava, / did not even touch his body, like a bride of Gauḍa [untouched by another].
48.58
Then, having cast aside their weapons, they engaged in hand-to-hand combat; / grabbing hand with hand, striking with their fists, / fighting with military tactics, Śiva and Andhaka fought.
48.59
Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said: / The Lord of gods resolved upon the subjection of Andhaka: / “I shall slay this evil-minded one; of this there is no doubt!”
48.60
When he was thrown down by Śiva and fell upon the surface of the earth, / with arms raised and face downward, O best of kings,
48.61
the Lord of gods was seized in battle by that enemy of the gods filled with rage, / thrust into the hollow of his armpits, and tormented in a firm grasp.
48.62
And the god, Maheśvara, became motionless, overcome with fainting. / But knowing him to have fallen into a faint, the Dānava pondered:
48.63
"Alas! A terrible evil deed has been done by me today, sinful-actioned that I am! / What shall I do? How can I act? In what place can I release [him]?"
48.64
Taking the god upon his lap, he went to Mount Kailāsa. / Placing Śaṅkara upon his couch, the king of the Daityas then departed.
48.65
Lying upon his bed, the god then came to feel pain; / then he saw himself staying in his own dwelling.
48.66
"How was defeat inflicted upon me by that wicked-souled one?" / Overcome with a rush of fury, he went forth toward the Dānava.
48.67
Seizing an iron club born of a thousand weights [of metal], the Lord, / having then seen the Dānava, hurled it at his head.
48.68
Laughing aloud in battle, the Dānava struck it with his sword. / Then the god recalled a weapon called Kauchera in that great battle.
48.69
Releasing the blazing [weapon], [the Dānava] was instantly struck in the heart. / Then he, struck by it, vomiting forth a torrent of blood,
48.70
fell face down, and then was pierced with the trident. / And again he was split in two with the trident by the god of gods.
48.71
Fixed upon the point of the trident, that wicked one then spun like a wheel. / Whatever drops of blood fell to the ground from his body,
48.72
all those [drops] rose up as Dānavas with weapons in hand. / Then the god was distressed by the swift Dānava.
48.73
Then the god recalled Durgā, Cāmuṇḍā of terrifying face. / She arrived, of terrifying form, resplendent with various weapons,
48.74
having huge fangs, a huge body, tawny eyes, and hanging earlobes. / "Let an order be given, O Lord: who shall go to the abode of Yama?"
48.75
Īśvara said: / "Drink his blood, O auspicious lady, as much as you wish, of this Dānava; / catch the blood falling to the ground, O Durgā, without delay!
48.76
While I slay the Dānava, render aid, O beautiful one!" / Thus addressed, Durgā then drank the blood.
48.77
All the Dānavas were slain by thousands by the lord of gods. / Andhakas too, having seen those Dānavas fallen to the ground, / then praised the god of gods, Maheśvara, with words:
48.78
Andhaka said: / "Be victorious, O Lord of the gods of gods, who bear half of Umā's body! / Homage to you, O Lord of the gods of gods, to Sarva, whose essence is the three qualities!
48.79
O you who are mounted on the bull-seat, who have made the moon your crest! / Victory to the one who has a khaṭvāṅga in hand, O bearer of the Gaṅgā, homage be to you!
48.80
Homage to the one with a drum in his hand, homage to the one garlanded with skulls! / To the destroyer of the body of Smara, to the Great Lord, homage be to you!
48.81
To the breaker of Pūṣan's teeth, to the lord of the troops, homage to you! / Victory to the one whose body is his true form, formless yet having many forms!
48.82
To the destroyer of the head even of Viriñci, O Śaṅkara! / To the one dwelling eternally in the cremation ground, eternally having the form of Bhairava!
48.83
You are omnipresent, you are the creator, you are the destroyer and none other; / you are the earth, and you are the directions, you are Guru and likewise Bhārgava;
48.84
you are Sauri, O Lord of the gods of gods, and likewise the son of the Earth; / the constellations, planets, and everything else that is visible—all that is you alone.
48.85
Having thus offered praise to the god at that time, that Dānava, / joining his two hands together, bowed down to Maheśvara.
48.86
Īśvara said: / "Well done, well done, O great-spirited one! Ask for a boon, O Dānava. / I am the giver, and you indeed are the petitioner; I grant whatever is desired here."
48.87
Andhaka said: / "If you are pleased, O Lord of gods, if a boon is to be given to me, / then I should be made similar to you; no other boon [do I ask].
48.88
[Let me be] smeared with ashes, having matted hair, three-eyed, bearing a trident, four-armed, / with a tiger-skin upper garment, and a serpent as sacred thread.
48.89
All this I desire, if you are pleased, O Maheśvara!"
48.90
Īśvara said: / "I indeed give you the boon today that was asked by you, O sinless one: / staying among my troops, O son, you shall become Bhṛṅgīśa."
48.90.p1
|| Thus ends the forty-eighth chapter, called 'The Description of the Slaying of Andhaka and the Granting of a Boon to Him,' in the Revākhaṇḍa of the Avantyakhaṇḍa, in the great Purāṇa of eighty-one thousand verses, the glorious Skandapurāṇa.
48.90.p2
RKV chapter 49
Linked texts (1)
- Revākhaṇḍa (Vāyupurāṇa) — Sanskrit