by Bibek Debroy
Chapter 3(16)
‘“‘Brahma said, “The sages, who followed the dharma of yoga, praised him in this way. The lord, whose abode is in Vaikuntha, greeted them and said the following.
‘“‘The illustrious one said, “These two attendants of mine are Jaya and Vijaya. They have slighted me and have also committed a great offence against you. They have also disregarded the gods. O sages! Therefore, the punishment you have imposed on them has my approval. Since brahmanas are supreme divinities for me, I seek your pardon. I think that the offence caused to you by these men is like an offence caused to you by me. When a servant commits a crime, people take the name of the master and his reputation suffers because of this blame, like disease affecting the skin. I am Vaikuntha. Hearing about my fame is like immersion in unblemished amrita. It instantly purifies the universe, even a svapacha. 995 I have obtained the fame of being an excellent tirtha from people like you. If my own arm acts against you, I will have no hesitation in severing it. It is because I serve you that the dust on my lotus feet has become purified and can instantly cleanse all sin. That is how I have obtained good conduct. That is the reason Shri does not leave me, even though I am not attached to her. Everyone else observes vows to obtain the favour of her glances. I do not relish the oblations offered by those who sacrifice into the sacrificial fire and the clarified butter mixed with food, as much as I relish a brahmana offering me the fruits of his action, having satisfied himself after eating the food. I alone bear the complete and unobstructed power of my yoga maya, but I bear the pure dust of their 996 feet on my diadem. The water that has washed their feet instantly purifies the worlds, including the one who wears the moon. 997 Who will not tolerate brahmanas? The best brahmanas, milk-yielding cows and other creatures who have not obtained a refuge are no different from me. It is only the ignorant who perceive a difference. Those who perceive such a difference from me have impaired vision. They will be torn apart by the messengers of the supervisor of punishments. 998 They are like angry vultures and their rage is like that of serpents. Even if brahmanas speak harshly, there are those who use their intelligence to worship them and satisfy them with joyous hearts, their faces like lotuses that are wet with the nectar of smiles. Using loving and affectionate words, they address them as one would speak to a son and praise and pacify them. I am won over by such people. Not knowing their own master’s intentions, these two have offended you and are headed downwards. Show me your favours so that after going through this, they should immediately return to my presence. Let it be such that these two servants are not exiled for a long time.”’
‘“‘Brahma continued, “He spoke in this way to the noble rishis, as if the goddess Sarasvati was in the speech. 999 The sages were tainted by anger. Even though they heard these words, they were not satisfied. They heard those well-composed words attentively. They were deep in import and not easy to comprehend. They immersed themselves in these deep and fathomless words. However, they did not understand what he wished to do. Through his yoga maya, Parameshthi’s greatness had been revealed to them. The brahmanas were delighted and their body hair stood up. They joined their hands in salutation and said, ‘O illustrious one! O god! We do not know what you desire. You are supreme and you have spoken as if we have done you a favour. O lord! You have said that brahmanas are supreme divinities and that brahmanas are also superior to you. O god! O illustrious one! But you yourself are the divinity for both gods and brahmanas. Eternal dharma flows from you and is protected by your forms. In our view, you are not subject to change. You are mysterious and supreme dharma. It is through your favours that yogis withdraw from action and conquer death. It is not possible for anyone else to show you favours. Others desire the occasional favours of the goddess of prosperity and apply the dust of her feet on their heads. The king of bees has a place on the garland of fresh tulasi leaves at your feet and she wishes to be in that fortunate position. She is pure and is devoted to you in conduct. But you are not as attached to her as you are to your devotees. How can you be purified by the dust on the path travelled by brahmanas, or how can you be purified by the sign of shrivatsa? You yourself are the reservoir of everything that is excellent. O illustrious one! O Triyuga! 1000 You yourself are the feet of dharma in the three yugas. For the sake of gods and brahmanas, you protect everything that is mobile and immobile. Indeed, using sattva, you have destroyed and driven away rajas and tamas. Yours is the body that confers boons on us. O best protector! O one who is worshipped! O god! If you do not protect the excellent lineages of the brahmanas, your auspicious path will be destroyed. People accept the behaviour of the best as a yardstick. O store of sattva! You do not desire or like the idea of the best being destroyed. For the welfare of people, you use your powers to destroy the enemy. You are the lord of the three worlds. You are the protector of the universe. Your energy is not diminished because you are bowing down. You are doing this because it pleases you. O lord! Whatever punishment you inflict on these two is approved by us. Without any duplicity, we will accept whatever births you determine for them. Impose a suitable punishment on us, since we have inflicted a curse on those two innocent ones.’ The illustrious one replied, ‘They will instantly obtain a birth that is inferior to that of gods. However much their anger increases, they will be firmly bound to meditation through yoga. They will then soon return to my presence. O brahmanas! I was the reason behind the curse you inflicted on them.’ Thus, the sages saw Vaikuntha, who brought delight to the eyes, in his self-resplendent abode of Vaikuntha. They circumambulated the illustrious one, bowed down before him and took his leave. Full of joy, they returned, praising the Vaishnava glory. The illustrious one told his servants, ‘Depart. Do not be frightened. Find happiness. Though I am capable of countering the energy of brahmanas, this has my approval and I do not wish to do so. This was ordained earlier, when Rama 1001 was enraged. On an earlier occasion, when I was resting, she wished to enter and you prevented her at the gate. Because of rage, you will immerse yourselves in yoga and tide over the offence of having disrespected brahmanas. Within a very short period of time, you will again return to my presence.’ Instructing the doorkeepers in this way, the illustrious one entered his own abode, which was ornamented with arrays of vimanas and was marked everywhere with signs of great prosperity. Because of the curse of brahmanas, extremely difficult to resist, those two bulls among divinities were dislodged from Hari’s world. They were deprived of their prosperity and lost their happiness. O sons! As they were falling down from Vaikuntha’s abode, great sounds of lamentation arose from those who were in those vimanas. Hari’s two excellent attendants have now obtained Kashyapa’s powerful seed and have entered Diti’s womb. You are now suffering because of the energy of those twin asuras and this has certainly agitated your energy. However, this has been ordained by the illustrious one. He is the reason behind the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe. Even lords of yoga also find it impossible to cross his yoga maya. The illustrious one, the lord of the three worlds, will arrange for our welfare. That being the case, what purpose will be served by our thinking about the matter?”’”’
Chapter 3(17)
‘“Maitreya said, ‘Having heard about the reason recited by the self-born one, all the residents of heaven were freed of their fear and returned to heaven. Because of what her husband had foretold, Diti was scared. After a full one hundred years were over, the virtuous one gave birth to twin sons. The earth, with its mountains, trembled. All the directions blazed. Meteors and thunder showered down. Comets and evil portents manifested themselves. A wind that was extremely harsh to the touch started to blow, repeatedly making a tumultuous noise. Large trees were uprooted and the whirlwinds raised banners of dust. There were masses of clouds and the lightning was like laughter. The stellar bodies disappeared. Darkness enveloped the sky and not a single spot could be distinguished. The ocean was distressed and shrieked, with lofty waves and its inside agitated. Waterbodies and rivers were also agitated and lotuses dried up.
There were repeated bouts of mist. Rahu attacked the moon and the sun. There was thunder and sounds like that of clattering chariots emerging from inside caves. Inside the villages, female jackals vomited terrible fire from their mouths and howled in hideous and inauspicious tones, accompanied by owls and male jackals. Raising up their heads, here and there, dogs barked in many kinds of ways. They seemed to sometimes sing and sometimes weep. O Kshatta! Herds of maddened donkeys rushed around wildly, braying harshly and striking the ground with their hooves. Birds were terrified by the donkeys. They shrieked and flew out of their nests. Domestic and wild animals released urine and excrement. Cows were terrified and yielded blood instead of milk. The clouds showered down pus. The images of the gods wept. Though there was no wind, the trees were uprooted. Auspicious planets were surpassed by the others. 1002 The stellar bodies blazed, followed retrograde paths and fought with each other. The subjects witnessed these great and ominous portents. With the exception of Brahma’s sons, they did not know about the truth. They were frightened and thought that the time for the universe to be submerged had arrived. Those two original daityas quickly manifested their virility. Their bodies were as hard as stone and they grew up, resembling large mountains. They stood there and the crests of their golden diadems touched the sky. They blocked the directions with arms decorated with shining armlets. At every step, their feet made the earth tremble. The excellent girdles around their waists surpassed the sun. Prajapati 1003 gave them names. The first son born from his body was Hiranyakashipu. People knew the elder son as Hiranyaksha. 1004 Because of Brahma’s boon, Hiranyakashipu did not fear death from anyone. He used his arms to subjugate the three worlds and their guardians. He was arrogant. Hiranyaksha was loved by his younger brother, who always did what brought him pleasure. With a club in his hand, he 1005 went to heaven, looking for an opportunity to fight. They 1006 saw him, irresistible in his speed. Golden anklets tinkled around his feet. He was adorned with a vaijayanti garland 1007 and the huge club rested on his shoulder. Because of the boon, he could not be countered and was proud of his physical and mental prowess, without any fear. On seeing him, the gods were terrified and hid themselves, like scared snakes before Tarkshya. 1008 When he saw that Indra and the large number of gods had gone into hiding because of his great prowess, the intoxicated king of the daityas roared loudly. He returned and roared in a terrible voice. Wishing to play, the great being immersed himself in the ocean, like a crazy elephant. When he entered there, Varuna’s soldiers, the aquatic creatures, became distressed. Though they were not struck by him, they were scared because of his radiance and suffering, fled a long distance away. O son! The immensely strong one spent many years there, roaming amidst the mighty waves repeatedly made turbulent by the wind of his breathing. He beat these down with his iron club. He then reached Vibhavari, the city of Prachetas. 1009 Having reached Prachetas, lord of the large number of aquatic creatures and the protector of the world of the asuras, he smiled. Like an inferior person indulging in jest, he bowed down and said, “O great king! Grant me a fight. You are the guardian of the world. You are an emperor and your fame is extensive. You are the one who takes away the valour of brave and arrogant ones who consider themselves to be invincible. You have conquered all the worlds, with the daityas and the danavas. O lord! Earlier, you have thereafter performed a royal sacrifice.” The illustrious lord of the waters was thus bitterly spoken to by an insolent enemy who mocked him. Using his intelligence, he pacified his rising rage and replied, ‘O dear one! I am old and resort to tranquility now. O bull among asuras! I do not see anyone other than the ancient Purusha who can fight with you and give you satisfaction. You are accomplished in the ways of fighting. Learned ones like you also praise him. When you reach that brave one, you will be swiftly robbed of your pride. You will lie down on a bed meant for heroes, surrounded by dogs. Exhibiting his favours to the virtuous and depending on his wishes, he adopts many kinds of forms to pacify wicked ones like you.’”’