Canto
6
Chapter 11: The Transcendental Qualities of Vritrâsura
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'Afraid and intent upon fleeing with their minds divided, o King, did they [the commanders of Vritrâsura] not take heed of the words of their master who was thus stressing the dharma. (2-3) When the best of the Asuras saw that the asura army, chased by the demigods who took the opportunity, was being shattered like there was no one to protect them, was he, the enemy of Indra, pained and angry and did he, unable to bear that, stepping in their way rebuke them with great force, o King, saying: (4) 'Of what interest are these cowardly sons to you? There is certainly no glory to be found in killing from behind someone who flees in fear nor will that lead those to a better world, who think themselves thus to be heroes. (5) If you believe in your battle, have patience in your hearts and if you're free from desiring the sensual pleasures, o small ones, then just stand still in front of me for a minute.'
(6) Thus being very angry were the demigods, his enemies, terrified by the roaring presence of that big mouth that scared the wits out of everyone. (7) Of that tumult of Vritra swooned indeed all the godly, so that they fell to the ground as if they were struck by a thunderbolt. (8) The sura army in fear having closed the eyes was trampled asunder as he arrogantly, just like a mad elephant running over a forest of hollow bamboos, holding his trident high with all his force stepped around the field that shook beneath his feet. (9) Seeing him in such a rage against his own kind, ran the carrier of the thunderbolt [Indra] at his enemy and threw he the mightiest club at him, but the demon caught the difficult to withstand weapon flying towards him very easily with his left hand. (10) That incensed Vritrâsura even more and with the club he, roaring loudly in the fight, struck Indra's elephant so famous for its strength on the head. That feat was lauded by all the soldiers on the field, o ruler of man. (11) Airâvata, struck by the club in Vritra's hand shook like a mountain hit by a thunderbolt and was, in great pain and spitting blood with a broken mouth, together with Indra thrown back a fourteen yards.
(12) The great soul though refrained from using the club again when he saw that Indra, thus wasted and innerly shaken about what had happened to his carrier, relieved the animal by the touch of his nectarean hand from all pains and injuries and next stood up before him. (13) Seeing him he remembered that Indra, his enemy who desired to fight him with the thunderbolt made of Dadhîci, o King Parîkchit, once had killed his brother. In bewilderment of the lamentation about that great and cruel sin, he sarcastically laughing addressed him. (14) S'rî Vritra said: 'How fortunate am I to encounter your lordship as my enemy, you as the murderer of a brahmin, the killer of his own guru and the slayer of my own brother; how lucky I am today to be relieved from my debt to my brother, o you total falsehood, with me soon piercing my trident right through your heart of stone! (15) Like he was an animal did you, desirous after heaven, merciless sever with your sword the three heads from him, our elder brother, who was a fully qualified and selfrealized brahmin and your spiritual teacher free from all sin who was entrusted the lead of the sacrifices. (16) You, bereft of all shame, mercy, beauty and glory are by your actions condemnable for even the infra-human; you will have to die slowly by my trident piercing your body, that in the end will not be burned but be eaten by the vultures.
(17) If you in this so cruel together with the others, who have no idea who they're dealing with, attack me with raised swords, shall I, with their severed heads on my pointy trident, make them an offering to the leader of the ghosts and his hordes. (18) At the other hand, o lordship of mine, if you with your thunderbolt, o hero, in this battle manage to cut my head off and destroy my army will I, in that case relieved of all debts, fall prey to the scavengers and achieve the dust of the feet of the great sages. (19) O master of the godly, why don't you hurl your thunderbolt at me, your enemy standing in front of you; don't doubt its infallibility, unlike the club that just like a request for money with a miser had no effect, may the bolt succeed. (20) Certainly will by this thunderbolt of yours o Indra, empowered by as well the prowess of Vishnu as the penance of Dadhîci, without fail your enemy be killed; whatever ordained by Lord Vishnu will bring the Lord His victory wherever and right there will all His opulences and qualities be found. (21) I, firmly fixing the mind shall, just as was said by our Lord Sankarshana His lotus feet [see 5.25], by the force of your thunderbolt see the rope of material attachment cut and achieve the destination of the munis in having given up on this material world. (22) Upon persons advanced in the spiritual that He recognizes as His own will He not bestow the opulences found in the divine, the earthly or the hellish spheres because one has from those the envy, anxiety, agitation, pride, quarrel, distress and belligerence. (23) O Indra the endeavors of a selfrealizing person for the three goals of life [religion, economy, satisfaction] are beaten back by our Lord and from that can the special mercy of the Fortunate One be inferred that, being so close for the devoted, is so very difficult to obtain by others. (24) [And so do I pray:] 'Will I, o my Lord, whose only shelter is to be at Your lotus feet, become the servant of Your servant again; may my mind remember the transcendental attributes of You, o Lord of my life, may my words be of the chanting and may my body be engaged in working for You? (25) Not the heavenly planets nor the Supreme Abode, not the rule over the world nor to dictate the lower worlds is what I want; I do not desire the perfections [the siddhis] of yoga or to be freed from rebirth, o source of all opportunity, all I want is not to be separated from You! (26) Like small birds unable to fly looking for their mother, just like a young calf distressed of being hungry for the udder, just like a lover morose of the beloved that has departed, just as eager is my mind to see You, o lotus-eyed One. (27) As someone who knows You as the one hailed by the scriptures, as someone wandering around in this repetition of birth and death, I seek Your friendship; may there, o Lord, be an end to me as someone whose mind by Your external manifestation is bound to his own fruitive labor, body, children and home.'
Second edition, loaded May 6, 2007.
Source texts:
The Transcendental Qualities of Vritrâsura
S'rî S'uka said: 'Afraid and intent upon fleeing with their minds divided, o King, did they [the commanders of Vritrâsura] not take heed of the words of their master who was thus stressing the dharma.S'rî S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: O King, Vritrâsura, the commander in chief of the demons, advised his lieutenants in the principles of religion, but the cowardly demoniac commanders, intent upon fleeing the battlefield, were so disturbed by fear that they could not accept his words. (Vedabase)
When the best of the Asuras saw that the asura army, chased by the demigods who took the opportunity, was being shattered like there was no one to protect them, was he, the enemy of Indra, pained and angry and did he, unable to bear that, stepping in their way rebuke them with great force, o King, saying:
O King Parîkshit, the demigods, taking advantage of a favorable opportunity presented by time, attacked the army of the demons from the rear and began driving away the demoniac soldiers, scattering them here and there as if their army had no leader. Seeing the pitiable condition of his soldiers, Vritrâsura, the best of the asuras, who was called Indras'atru, the enemy of Indra, was very much aggrieved. Unable to tolerate such reverses, he stopped and forcefully rebuked the demigods, speaking the following words in an angry mood. (Vedabase)
'Of what interest are these cowardly sons to you? There is certainly no glory to be found in killing from behind someone who flees in fear nor will that lead those to a better world, who think themselves thus to be heroes.
O demigods, these demoniac soldiers have taken birth uselessly. Indeed, they have come from the bodies of their mothers exactly like stool. What is the benefit of killing such enemies from behind while they are running in fear? One who considers himself a hero should not kill an enemy who is afraid of losing his life. Such killing is never glorious, nor can it promote one to the heavenly planets. (Vedabase)
If you believe in your battle, have patience in your hearts and if you're free from desiring the sensual pleasures, o small ones, then just stand still in front of me for a minute.'
O insignificant demigods, if you truly have faith in your heroism, if you have patience in the cores of your hearts and if you are not ambitious for sense gratification, please stand before me for a moment. (Vedabase)
Thus being very angry were the demigods, his enemies, terrified by the roaring presence of that big mouth that scared the wits out of everyone.
S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: Vritrâsura, the angry and most powerful hero, terrified the demigods with his stout and strongly built body. When he roared with a resounding voice, nearly all living entities fainted. (Vedabase)
Of that tumult of Vritra swooned indeed all the godly, so that they fell to the ground as if they were struck by a thunderbolt.
When all the demigods heard Vritrâsura's tumultuous roar, which resembled that of a lion, they fainted and fell to the ground as if struck by thunderbolts. (Vedabase)
The sura army in fear having closed the eyes was trampled asunder as he arrogantly, just like a mad elephant running over a forest of hollow bamboos, holding his trident high with all his force stepped around the field that shook beneath his feet.
As the demigods closed their eyes in fear, Vritrâsura, taking up his trident and making the earth tremble with his great strength, trampled the demigods beneath his feet on the battlefield the way a mad elephant tramples hollow bamboo's in the forest. (Vedabase)
Seeing him in such a rage against his own kind, ran the carrier of the thunderbolt [Indra] at his enemy and threw he the mightiest club at him, but the demon caught the difficult to withstand weapon flying towards him very easily with his left hand.
Seeing Vritrâsura's disposition, Indra, the King of heaven, became intolerant and threw at him one of his great clubs, which are extremely difficult to counteract. However, as the club flew toward him, Vritrâsura easily caught it with his left hand. (Vedabase)
That incensed Vritrâsura even more and with the club he, roaring loudly in the fight, struck Indra's elephant so famous for its strength on the head. That feat was lauded by all the soldiers on the field, o ruler of man.
O King Parîkshit, the powerful Vritrâsura, the enemy of King Indra, angrily struck the head of Indra's elephant with that club, making a tumultuous sound on the battlefield. For this heroic deed, the soldiers on both sides glorified him. (Vedabase)
Airâvata, struck by the club in Vritra's hand shook like a mountain hit by a thunderbolt and was, in great pain and spitting blood with a broken mouth, together with Indra thrown back a fourteen yards.
Struck with the club by Vritrâsura like a mountain struck by a thunderbolt, the elephant Airâvata, feeling great pain and spitting blood from its broken mouth, was pushed back fourteen yards. In great distress, the elephant fell, with Indra on its back. (Vedabase)
The great soul though refrained from using the club again when he saw that Indra, thus wasted and innerly shaken about what had happened to his carrier, relieved the animal by the touch of his nectarean hand from all pains and injuries and next stood up before him.
When he saw Indra's carrier elephant thus fatigued and injured and when he saw Indra morose because his carrier had been harmed in that way, the great soul Vritrâsura, following religious principles, refrained from again striking Indra with the club. Taking this opportunity, Indra touched the elephant with his nectar-producing hand, thus relieving the animal's pain and curing its injuries. Then the elephant and Indra both stood silently. (Vedabase)
Seeing him he remembered that Indra, his enemy who desired to fight him with the thunderbolt made of Dadhîci, o King Parîkchit, once had killed his brother. In bewilderment of the lamentation about that great and cruel sin, he sarcastically laughing addressed him.
O King, when the great hero Vritrâsura saw Indra, his enemy, the killer of his brother, standing before him with a thunderbolt in his hand, desiring to fight, Vritrâsura remembered how Indra had cruelly killed his brother. Thinking of Indra's sinful activities, he became mad with lamentation and forgetfulness. Laughing sarcastically, he spoke as follows. (Vedabase)
S'rî Vritra said: 'How fortunate am I to encounter your lordship as my enemy, you as the murderer of a brahmin, the killer of his own guru and the slayer of my own brother; how lucky I am today to be relieved from my debt to my brother, o you total falsehood, with me soon piercing my trident right through your heart of stone!
S'rî Vritrâsura said: He who has killed a brâhmana, he who has killed his spiritual master--indeed, he who has killed my brother--is now, by good fortune, standing before me face to face as my enemy. O most abominable one, when I pierce your stonelike heart with my trident, I shall be freed from my debt to my brother. (Vedabase)Text 15
Like he was an animal did you, desirous after heaven, merciless sever with your sword the three heads from him, our elder brother, who was a fully qualified and selfrealized brahmin and your spiritual teacher free from all sin who was entrusted the lead of the sacrifices.
Only for the sake of living in the heavenly planets, you killed my elder brother--a self-realized, sinless, qualified brâhmana who had been appointed your chief priest. He was your spiritual master, but although you entrusted him with the performance of your sacrifice, you later mercilessly severed his heads from his body the way one butchers an animal. (Vedabase)
You, bereft of all shame, mercy, beauty and glory are by your actions condemnable for even the infra-human; you will have to die slowly by my trident piercing your body, that in the end will not be burned but be eaten by the vultures.
Indra, you are bereft of all shame, mercy, glory and good fortune. Deprived of these good qualities by the reactions of your fruitive activities, you are to be condemned even by the man-eaters [Râkshasas]. Now I shall pierce your body with my trident, and after you die with great pain, even fire will not touch you; only the vultures will eat your body. (Vedabase)
If you in this so cruel together with the others, who have no idea who they're dealing with, attack me with raised swords, shall I, with their severed heads on my pointy trident, make them an offering to the leader of the ghosts and his hordes.
You are naturally cruel. If the other demigods, unaware of my prowess, follow you by attacking me with raised weapons, I shall sever their heads with this sharp trident. With those heads I shall perform a sacrifice to Bhairava and the other leaders of the ghosts, along with their hordes. (Vedabase)
At the other hand, o lordship of mine, if you with your thunderbolt, o hero, in this battle manage to cut my head off and destroy my army will I, in that case relieved of all debts, fall prey to the scavengers and achieve the dust of the feet of the great sages.
But if in this battle you cut off my head with your thunderbolt and kill my soldiers, O Indra, O great hero, I shall take great pleasure in offering my body to other living entities [such as jackals and vultures]. I shall thus be relieved of my obligations to the reactions of my karma, and my fortune will be to receive the dust from the lotus feet of great devotees like Nârada Muni. (Vedabase)
O master of the godly, why don't you hurl your thunderbolt at me, your enemy standing in front of you; don't doubt its infallibility, unlike the club that just like a request for money with a miser had no effect, may the bolt succeed.
O King of the demigods, since I, your enemy, am standing before you, why don't you hurl your thunderbolt at me? Although your attack upon me with your club was certainly useless, like a request of money from a miser, the thunderbolt you carry will not be useless. You need have no doubts about this. (Vedabase)
Certainly will by this thunderbolt of yours o Indra, empowered by as well the prowess of Vishnu as the penance of Dadhîci, without fail your enemy be killed; whatever ordained by Lord Vishnu will bring the Lord His victory wherever and right there will all His opulences and qualities be found.
O Indra, King of heaven, the thunderbolt you carry to kill me has been empowered by the prowess of Lord Vishnu and the strength of Dadîci's austerities. Since you have come here to kill me in accordance with Lord Vishnu's order, there is no doubt that I shall be killed by the release of your thunderbolt. Lord Vishnu has sided with you. Therefore your victory, opulence and all good qualities are assured. (Vedabase)
I, firmly fixing the mind shall, just as was said by our Lord Sankarshana His lotus feet [see 5.25], by the force of your thunderbolt see the rope of material attachment cut and achieve the destination of the munis in having given up on this material world.
By the force of your thunderbolt, I shall be freed of material bondage and shall give up this body and this world of material desires. Fixing my mind upon the lotus feet of Lord Sankarshana, I shall attain the destination of such great sages as Nârada Muni, just as Lord Sankarshana has said. (Vedabase)
Upon persons advanced in the spiritual that He recognizes as His own will He not bestow the opulences found in the divine, the earthly or the hellish spheres because one has from those the envy, anxiety, agitation, pride, quarrel, distress and belligerence.
Persons who fully surrender at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and always think of His lotus feet are accepted and recognized by the Lord as His own personal assistants or servants. The Lord never bestows upon such servants the brilliant opulences of the upper, lower and middle planetary systems of this material world. When one possesses material opulence in any of these three divisions of the universe, his possessions naturally increase his enmity, anxiety, mental agitation, pride and belligerence. Thus one goes through much endeavor to increase and maintain his possessions, and he suffers great unhappiness when he loses them. (Vedabase)
O Indra the endeavors of a selfrealizing person for the three goals of life [religion, economy, satisfaction] are beaten back by our Lord and from that can the special mercy of the Fortunate One be inferred that, being so close for the devoted, is so very difficult to obtain by others.
Our Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, forbids His devotees to endeavor uselessly for religion, economic development and sense gratification. O Indra, one can thus infer how kind the Lord is. Such mercy is obtainable only by unalloyed devotees, not by persons who aspire for material gains. (Vedabase)
[And so do I pray:] 'Will I, o my Lord, whose only shelter is to be at Your lotus feet, become the servant of Your servant again; may my mind remember the transcendental attributes of You, o Lord of my life, may my words be of the chanting and may my body be engaged in working for You?
O my Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, will I again be able to be a servant of Your eternal servants who find shelter only at Your lotus feet? O Lord of my life, may I again become their servant so that my mind may always think of Your transcendental attributes, my words always glorify those attributes, and my body always engage in the loving service of Your Lordship? (Vedabase)
Not the heavenly planets nor the Supreme Abode, not the rule over the world nor to dictate the lower worlds is what I want; I do not desire the perfections [the siddhis] of yoga or to be freed from rebirth, o source of all opportunity, all I want is not to be separated from You!
O my Lord, source of all opportunities, I do not desire to enjoy in Dhruvaloka, the heavenly planets or the planet where Lord Brahmâ resides, nor do I want to be the supreme ruler of all the earthly planets or the lower planetary systems. I do not desire to be master of the powers of mystic yoga, nor do I want liberation if I have to give up Your lotus feet. (Vedabase)
Like smalls birds unable to fly looking for their mother, just like a young calf distressed of being hungry for the udder, just like a lover morose of the beloved that has departed, just as eager is my mind to see You, o lotus-eyed One.
O lotus-eyed Lord, as baby birds that have not yet developed their wings always look for their mother to return and feed them, as small calves tied with ropes await anxiously the time of milking, when they will be allowed to drink the milk of their mothers, or as a morose wife whose husband is away from home always longs for him to return and satisfy her in all respects, I always yearn for the opportunity to render direct service unto You. (Vedabase)
As someone who knows You as the one hailed by the scriptures, as someone wandering around in this repetition of birth and death, I seek Your friendship; may there, o Lord, be an end to me as someone whose mind by Your external manifestation is bound to his own fruitive labor, body, children and home.'
O my Lord, my master, I am wandering throughout this material world as a result of my fruitive activities. Therefore I simply seek friendship in the association of Your pious and enlightened devotees. My attachment to my body, wife, children and home is continuing by the spell of Your external energy, but I wish to be attached to them no longer. Let my mind, my consciousness and everything I have be attached only to You. (Vedabase)
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ISBN: o-91277-27-7
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