by Bibek Debroy
‘Bali struck the great Indra with ten arrows and Airavata with three. He used four arrows to strike the four guarding the flanks and one to strike the driver. However, Shakra, dexterous in his valour, seemed to smile. While they were still descending, he used four sharp and broad-headed arrows to sever them. The intolerant one witnessed his excellent deed and seized a spear that blazed like a giant meteor. However, Hari 958 severed it, while it was still in his hands. The lord severed all the weapons that he 959 seized and hurled at him, trident, javelin, club and double-edged sword. At this, the asura created the maya of asuras and vanished. O lord! A mountain appeared above the soldiers of the gods. From this, trees blazing in a forest conflagration fell down. There were boulders with spiked stones and these crushed the enemy’s army. Giant serpents, dandashukas, scorpions, lions, tigers, boars and giant elephants descended, crushing them. O lord! There were hundreds of naked and female yatudhanas, with tridents in their hands. Shouting “Sever”, “Strike”, they manifested themselves, along with large numbers of rakshasas. Large clouds, rumbling in harsh and deep tone, appeared in the sky. Borne along by stormy winds, these thundered and showered down burning coals. With the wind as a charioteer, the daitya created an extremely large fire. It was like the samvartaka fire 960 and burnt down the soldiers of the gods. In every direction, the ocean was seen to turn turbulent. There were tremendous storms and terrible waves, whirlpools and eddies. Invisible in the battle, the daityas created such enormous maya. When they created this maya, the soldiers of the gods became despondent. O king! Unable to counter and understand this, Indra and the others meditated on the illustrious one and the creator of the universe manifested himself there. His tender feet were placed atop Suparna. His garments were yellow and his eyes were like freshly bloomed lotuses. With the eight weapons in his hands, he manifested himself there. The shrivatsa mark and Koustubha were on his chest and he wore an expensive diadem and earrings. The asuras were mysterious in their deeds. But as soon as he entered, their great maya was destroyed by his greater glory. It was like a dream vanishing when one awakes. Hari’s memory frees from all kinds of calamities. Kalanemi had a lion as his mount. In the battle, when he saw the one whose mount was Garuda, he whirled his giant javelin and flung it. O king! As if playing, with his feet on Garuda’s head, the lord of the gods seized it while it was descending and used it to kill the enemy and his mount. He used his chakra to sever the heads of the extremely strong Mali and Sumali. At this, Malyavan seized a sharp club to attack the one born from an egg. 961 However, the original being used the chakra to sever the head of the enemy who was roaring loudly.’
Chapter 8(11)
Shri-Shuka said, ‘After this, because of the supreme being, supreme in his compassion, the gods regained their senses. Shakra, Vayu and the others strongly attacked those by whom they had been routed in the battle earlier. The illustrious chastiser of Paka was enraged at Virochana’s son. 962 He seized the vajra in his hand and the subjects shrieked, “Alas! Alas!” 963 In the great battle, the spirited and extremely accomplished one was roaming around, in front of him. The one with the vajra in his hand reprimanded him in this way. “O foolish one! O lord of maya! You are like a magician who uses conjuring tricks, though you wish to vanquish us. Such a magician can only deceive the eyes of children and take away their riches. There are those who use maya and wish to ascend to the celestial regions. But I drive away such ignorant bandits and make them fall down from the status they formerly occupied. You use wicked maya. O evil one! Try with all your relatives. I will now use this vajra, with one hundred edges, to sever your head.” Bali replied, “For those engaged in a battle, their deeds are urged by destiny. In course of time, fame, victory, defeat and death come to everyone. Wise ones witness the progress of time in the universe. They are neither delighted, nor distressed. Therefore, those like you are not learned. We do not consider ourselves to be the cause. Even though your words strike at the inner organs, we do not accept them as virtuous or reason for grief.” Having said this, the brave lord, the crusher of heroes, used iron arrows. Drawing his bow back up to his ears, he used these to again strike the one who had struck with words. Thus, the god was countered by the enemy who spoke the truth. However, like an elephant struck with a goad, he could not tolerate these words. The destroyer of enemies struck him with the invincible vajra. Along with his vehicle, he fell down on the ground, like a mountain whose wings had been severed. 964 Jambha, Bali’s friend and well-wisher, saw that he had fallen down in the battle. Performing a friendly act, he attacked the one who had struck his friend. His mount was a lion and he raised a club with great force. The extremely strong one struck Shakra on the neck with this and also struck his elephant. Severely struck by the club, the elephant was pained and distracted. Filled with great lassitude, it sank down on its knees and touched the ground. At this, Matali brought the chariot, drawn by one thousand tawny horses. When this was brought, the lord abandoned the elephant and ascended the chariot. In the battle, the supreme among danavas honoured his deed. But smiling, he struck him with a blazing trident. 965 The blow was extremely difficult to withstand. However, Matali resorted to his fortitude. Enraged, Indra used his vajra to sever Jambha’s head from his body. Hearing from rishi Narada that Jambha had been killed, his relatives, Namuchi, Bala and Paka swiftly arrived at the spot. They used harsh words to pierce Indra’s inner organs. In the battle, they covered him with arrows, like a cloud showering down on a mountain. Demonstrating the dexterity of his hands, Bala simultaneously struck Hari’s 966 one thousand tawny horses with one thousand arrows. Paka struck Matali with two hundred arrows. He skilfully affixed and released them separately, directing one hundred at the charioteer and one hundred at the chariot. In the battle, this was extremely wonderful. Namuchi used fifteen large and gold-tufted arrows to strike him 967 in the battle and roared like a cloud filled with rain. From every direction, the asuras shrouded Shakra, his chariot and his charioteer with a dense mass of arrows, like the sun being enveloped with clouds during the rainy season. The large number of gods, and their companions, could not see him in the battle and, distracted, started to lament. Without a leader, they were vanquished by the enemy’s strength. They were like traders in an ocean, when their boat has been shattered. However, with his horses, chariot, standard and charioteer, Turasaha 968 emerged from that cage made out of arrows. Like the sun at the end of the night, he used his own energy to illuminate and delight the directions, the sky and earth. He saw that the army of the gods was afflicted by the enemy in the battle. Enraged, the wielder of the vajra seized the vajra, so that the enemy might be killed. O king! While their relatives looked on, he used that vajra, sharp on eight sides, to sever the heads of Bala and Paka. This terrified people.
‘On seeing that they had been killed, Namuchi was filled with grief, intolerance and rage. O lord of men! He made great efforts to kill Indra. He angrily seized a trident made out of iron in his hand. It possessed bells and was ornamented with gold. Roaring like a lion, he powerfully released it towards the king of the gods, exclaiming, “You have been killed.” With great speed, it descended from the sky towards the ground. However, Hari used arrows to shatter it into one thousand fragments. O king! Angry, to sever his head, the lord of the gods then used the vajra to strike him on the neck. However, though it had been hurled with force, with the energy of the lord of the gods, the vajra could not pierce his skin. This was supremely extraordinary. It had been able to strike the valiant Vritra. However, it was now repulsed by the skin on Namuchi’s neck. When the vajra was repulsed by the enemy in this way, Indra was scared. He wondered whether this, confusing to the worlds, had occurred because of some act of destiny. “Earlier, mountains possessed wings and used these wings to descend anywhere on earth, creating a destruction of subjects. Therefore, I used this to sever their wings. This is filled with the essence of Tvashta’s austerities. Vritra was brought down with this and so were many other powerful ones, even those whose skins could not be pierced by all ki
nds of weapons. I released this vajra at an insignificant asura and he has repulsed it. Therefore, without the energy of the brahmana, 969 this has become a useless staff and I will no longer hold it.” While Shakra was lamenting in this way, an invisible voice spoke. “This danava cannot be killed with anything that is wet or dry. I gave him a boon that he would not be killed by anything wet or dry. O Maghavan! Therefore, you must search for some other means to slay the enemy.” Hearing this divine voice, Maghavan controlled himself. He meditated and discerned that foam would be the means, since it was neither wet, nor dry. It was not wet or dry and with it, he severed Namuchi’s head. The lord was praised by a large number of sages and they showered down garlands on him. The two foremost gandharvas, Vishvavasu and Puravasu, sang. The drums of the gods were sounded. Dancers danced in joy. Just as lions kill deer, in duels, Vayu, Agni, Varuna and other gods used their force to kill the enemy asuras. O king! When he saw that the gods would destroy all the danavas, the god Brahma sent devarshi Narada to restrain them. Narada said, “Seeking refuge in Narayana’s arms, you have obtained the amrita. Shri has shown you her favours. Therefore, stop this hostility.” Honouring the sage’s words, they restrained their rage and intolerance. Praised by their followers, all of them returned to heaven. Those who remained in the battle 970 took Narada’s permission and conveyed the incapacitated Bali to Mount Asta. His limbs were not missing and his head was still in its place. Using his own knowledge of samjivani, 971 Ushanas brought him back to life. Touched by Ushanas, Bali regained his senses and his memory. Though he had been defeated, since he was accomplished at discerning the truth, he did not lament.’
Chapter 8(12)
Badarayana’s son said, ‘Vrishadhvaja 972 heard that Hari had assumed the form of a woman to confound the danavas and feed soma to the large number of gods. Girisha ascended the bull. Along with the goddess and surrounded by a large number of bhutas, he went to the place where Madhusudana was, to see him. The illustrious one welcomed Bhava, along with Uma, respectfully and affectionately. When he was seated, he honoured Hari back, smiled and spoke to him. Mahadeva said, “O god of the gods! O one who pervades the universe! O one whose body is the universe! O lord of every kind of sentiment! You are the atman, the cause and the lord. You are the beginning and the end. You are the middle. There is nothing other than you. You are inside and outside. Unlike these, you are without decay. You are truth. You are the brahman. You are consciousness. There are sages who crave after nothing. They give up attachment to both. 973 Desiring their benefit, they serve at your feet. You are the brahman. You are complete. You are amrita. You are without gunas. You are without sorrow. You are bliss alone. You are without transformation. There is no one other than you and you are distinct from everything. You are the cause behind the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe. You are the controller and lord of atmans. Everything looks towards you, but you do not look towards anything. You are alone. You are the cause and the effect. You are duality and non-duality. There is no material difference between gold that has been polished and gold in the form of ore. Like that, because of ignorance, people impose differences on you. That is because of transformation in the gunas, but you are not affected by these. Some regard you as the brahman. Others say that you alone are dharma. Some say that you transcend cause and effect, others that you are Purusha, the lord who transcends everything. Some describe you as being endowed with nine powers. 974 Some say that you are supreme, others that you are the great Purusha. You are without decay and are your own controller. We have been created from sattva. However, I, Parayu, 975 and the rishis, with Marichi as the foremost, do not truly know your creation. O lord! How can daityas, mortals and others who are always wicked in conduct? 976 Their intelligence is bewildered by your maya. You have created everything, creation, preservation and destruction of the universe, the welfare of beings and their liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Just as the wind enters the sky and every mobile and immobile object, you are in all atmans. Everything is known to you. You pervade everything. I have seen your avataras and your pastimes with the gunas. I wish to see the form of a woman that you assumed, the one you used to confound the daityas and make the gods drink amrita. We have come to see that. We are extremely curious.” The illustrious Vishnu was thus asked by the one who wields a trident in his hand. He laughed in a deep voice and replied to Girisha. The illustrious one said, “To bewilder the daityas, I assumed the form of a woman, since they had left with the vessel of amrita and I saw that I had to accomplish the task of the gods. O supreme among gods! Since you wish to see it, I will display it to you. It is extremely endearing to those who are addicted to desire and causes them to be aroused.” Having said this, the illustrious one vanished from the spot. Bhava remained there with Uma, casting his eyes around in every direction.
‘There was a grove with colourful flowers and pink foliage in the midst of the trees. He saw a beautiful woman there. She was sporting and playing with a ball. A shining silk garment was around her hips, with a girdle on it. As she leapt up and down, her breasts bounced. She wore excellent necklaces. At every step, she seemed to break in the middle because of the heavy burden. 977 She moved around here and there, on feet that seemed to be made out of coral. 978 As the ball moved in different directions, her large eyes and dilated pupils followed it, as if agitated. There were radiant earrings on her ears and they illuminated her shining cheeks. Her face was adorned with a dark mass of glossy hair. She used her right hand to play with the ball and used her beautiful left hand to tighten the garment that came loose and fix her dishevelled hair. She bemused the universe with her own maya. The god looked at her, playing with the ball. She cast sidelong glances at him and there was the bashful trace of a smile. As he looked at her and she looked back at him, his mind was agitated. He no longer knew himself, nor Uma and his own companions who were with him. When the ball was dislodged from her hand and moved away, she followed it. While the woman was doing this, the wind stole her light garment and the string of the girdle. Even then, the god Bhava continued to gaze. Her beautiful limbs were enchanting and worth looking at. Having seen this, Bhava thought that she was also attracted to him. Desire agitated him and deprived him of his sense and good behaviour. Though Bhavani was looking, he lost his shame and approached her. She was naked. On seeing that he was approaching, she became extremely ashamed. Though she continued to smile, she did not remain there, but hid herself amidst the trees. With his senses agitated, the illustrious Bhava followed her. He was under the subjugation of desire, like the leader of an elephant herd towards a female elephant. He followed the woman with great speed and seized her by the hair. Though she did not wish it, he embraced her in his arms. She was embraced by the illustrious one, like a female elephant by a male elephant. With her hair dishevelled, she writhed around. O dear one! She freed herself from the embrace of the bull among the gods. Though her hips were heavy, she fled. After all, she was a maya fashioned by the divinity. Rudra followed the footsteps of Vishnu, extraordinary in his deeds. Driven by desire, as if vanquished by an enemy, he followed. While he followed her, his semen, invincible in its potency, oozed out, like the crazy leader of a herd, when it follows a woman it desires. O lord of the earth! Wherever the great-souled one’s semen fell on earth, fields of gold and silver ore were created there. Hara followed her to rivers, lakes, mountains, forests, groves and places where rishis were assembled. When all the semen had been secreted, he saw that he had been benumbed by the god’s maya. O best among kings! He restrained himself from the delusion.