Chapter 4 - On the defeat of the Devas by Vṛtra

1-17. Vyāsa said :--- O King! The Suras that wanted to create hindrance in Vṛtra’s tapasyā, seeing him firmly resolved, became disappointed in the fulfilment of their objects and returned to their own abodes. Thus full one hundred years passed away.

The four-faced Brahmā, the Grandsire of the Lokas, came there mounted on his carrier the Swan, and said :-- “O Vṛtra! Be happy; now quit your meditation and ask boon; I will grant you the boon that you choose. O Child! Your body has become very lean and thin through your penance. I am now very pleased to see your this very hard tapasyā. Welfare be to you. Now ask the boon that you desire.”

Vyāsa said :-- O King! Hearing thus the clearly distinct nectar-like sweet words of the Creator Brahmā, Vṛtra shed tears of joy and suddenly stood up. And going to him, bowed down gladly before His feet, and, with folded hands, spoke to Him, Who is desirous to grant him boons, in a tremulous voice. O Lord! Today I have been fortunate to see Thee who art generally seen with great difficulty; and I have acquired thus the posts of all the Devas; O Lotus-seated One! I have got an insatiable desire burning within me. Thou art omniscient, Thou knowest everything; still I am speaking out my mind. O Lord! Grant that my death does not occur with iron, wood, dry or wet substances or with bamboos or any other weapons and let my strength and valour be increased very much in the battle; for, then, I will be unconquerable by all the Devas with all their armies.

Vyāsa said :-- O King! Thus prayed for, Brahmā said to him smiling :-- “O Child! get up; I grant that your desired boon will always be fulfilled; now go to your own place. Your death won’t occur with dry or wet substances or with stones or wood. I say this truly unto you.” Thus granting the boon, Brahmā went to His Brahmāloka. Vṛtra, too, became very glad on receiving his desired object, and returned to his own abode. The highly intelligent Vṛtra informed the father about the boon granted to him; Viśvakarmā became very glad to hear it. O highly fortunate One! Let all bliss and good fortune come unto you; kill Indra, my greatest enemy. Go and kill the murderer of my son Triśirā, the vicious Indra and return to me. Be victorious in the battle and become the Lord of all the Devas and remove my mental agony due to the killing of my son. A son becomes then really a son when he obeys the commands of his father and when he feeds plentifully good many people on the Srāddha day (after his father’s death) and when he offers Piṇḍa at Gayā. Therefore, O Son! Keep my words and try to remove my sorrows. Know this as certain that Triśirā never vanishes from my mind. Triśirā was very truthful, amiable and good-natured; he was an ascetic and foremost amongst the Vedic scholars. The wicked Indra killed my dear son without any offence.

18-33. Vyāsa said :-- O King! Hearing the father’s words, that extremely indomitable Vṛtrāsura mounted on his chariot and quickly got out of his father’s house. The proud Asura, then, marched to the battle, accompanied with his vast army, to the sounding of the conch-shells and war drums.

Vṛtra, versed in politics and morals, exhorted his soldiers before marching and said :-- “To-day we will kill Indra and possess the kingdom of the Immortals, freed of all enemies.” O King! Thus, accompanied by his soldiers, and raising a tremendous war-cry terrifying to the Devas, the Asura set out for battle. O Bhārata! The King of the Devas, knowing that the Asura is quite at hand, became overwhelmed with terror and ordered at once the soldiers to be ready for the battle and called quickly all the Lokapālas and sent them all for the battle. The highly lustrous Indra, the tormentor of the foes, arrayed his troops in order according to Gridhra Vyūha (the method in which the vultures arrange themselves while flying) and stayed there. On the other hand Vṛtra, the slayer of enemies, dashed unto that place with all swiftness. A dreadful fight then ensued between the Devas and Dānavas; the two parties, desirous to get victory over the other, fought awfully hard. When the blaze of the battle fire shone to a very high pitch, the Devas dropped with sorrow while the Asuras became excited with joy. The Devas and Dānavas struck each other with Tomaras, Bhindipālas, axes, Paraśus, Pattiśas, and various other weapons. When the dreadful battle rose to a high pitch causing horripilation, Vṛtra became very angry and suddenly caught hold of Indra and denuding him of all clothes and armours swallowed him; he, then, remembering his former enmity, became very glad and stayed there.

When Indra was thus devoured by Vṛtra, the Devas were overwhelmed with terror and cried out frequently, with great distress :-- “O Indra! O Indra!” All the Devas became very dejected and grieved in their hearts to see Indra denuded of his armour and clothes in the belly of Vṛtra and bowed down to Bṛhaspati and said :-- “O Indra of the Brāhmans! You are our best Guru what are we to do now? Though the gods tried their best to save Indra still Vṛtra has devoured him. We are all powerless, what can we do without Indra? O Lord! Perform quickly magic spells (Abhicāra process) which will lead to our Indra’s liberation.”

34. Bṛhaspati said :-- “O Suras! The king of the gods is swallowed by Vṛtra, he has been quite disabled; but Indra is living in his bowels; attempt therefore must be made that he comes out while living.”

35-54. Vyāsa said :-- O King! The Devas became very anxious to see Indra in that plight and took all the ways and means carefully how he might be freed. Then they created a state tending to cause yawning, very powerful and irresistible and calculated to destroy one’s enemy. Vṛtrāsura then yawned and his mouth got widely opened and extended. In the meanwhile Indra, the destroyer of one’s enemieś strength, contracted all his limbs and came out of the expanded mouth of the Asura and fell down. Since that time, this state of yawning has become prevalent amongst the beings. The Devas were all glad to see Indra thus come out. When Indra thus got out, he fought again with Vṛtra for 10,000 years (Ajuta years). The fight was very dreadful, causing horripilation. On one side all the Devas joined in the battle; on the other side, the pre-eminently powerful Vṛtra, the son of Viśvakarmā fought. When Vṛtrāsura got more and more energy in the battle, Indra became gradually dwindled and was at last defeated. Indra became very much grieved when he found himself defeated; the Devas also were very dejected to see this. Indra and the other Devas quitted the battle-field and fled away. Vṛtrāsura too, quickly arrived and occupied the Heavens. Vṛtra began to enjoy by force the Heavenly gardens and took the Airāvata elephant. O King! The Asura, the son of Tvastā, took away all Vimānas (the self-moving chariots of gods), Uccaiśrava, the best of horses, the heavenly cow, the giver of desires, the Pārijāta tree, the Apsarās, and all other jewels of the Heavens. The Devas, on the other hand, deprived of their shares in sacrifices and driven away from their Heavens, suffered very much. Vṛtrāsura became puffed up with vanity, when he got possession of the Heavens. Viśvakarmā, too, became very happy at that time and began to enjoy pleasures along with his son. O Bharata! The Devas, then, united with the Munis and they began to consult about their own welfare.

When the Devas took Indra with them and went to Mahā Deva in the Mount Kailāśa and bowed down to His feet very humbly and, with folded hands, spoke thus :-- O Deva of the Devas! O Mahā Deva! Thou art the Maheśvara and the unbounded Ocean of Mercy! We are defeated by Vṛtrāsura and we are very much terrified. Save us, O Śambhu! Thou dost good to all the beings; dost thou tell us, therefore, truly what are we to do now, when that powerful Dānava has dispossessed us of our Heavens. O Maheśa! Now dislodged, where are we to go? We are not finding any remedy by which our miseries can be destroyed. O Bhūta Bhāvana! We are very much pained; help us; O merciful One! That Vṛtrāsura has become intoxicated with vanity due to his being granted the boon. Therefore destroy him.

55-57. Śaṅkara said :-- “O Devas! We will keep Brahmā in the front and let all of us go to the residence of Hari and there consult with Him how to destroy this unruly Vṛtra. The Janārdana Vāsudeva is fully capable to do all actions. He is powerful, knower of pretexts, highly intelligent, ocean of mercy, and fit to be asked by all for protection. Without Him, the Deva of the Devas, no success is possible in any action. Therefore all of us ought to go there for the success in our undertaking.”

58-62. Vyasa said :-- O King! Thus settling their plan of action, Indra and other Devas took Śaṅkara and Brahmā with them and went to the abode of Hari, who protects all and is gracious to His devotees. They, then, began to chant Puruṣasūkta hymns to Him and thus they praised the God Hari, the Guru of this Universe.

The Janārdan Hari, the Lord of Kamalā, then, appeared before them and, after showing his respect, addressed them thus :-- O Lord of the several Lokas! What have brought you all together with Brahmā and Śaṅkara hither? O best of Suras! Please tell me the reason of your coming here.

Vyasa said :-- O King! Thus hearing Hari’s words, the Devas could not reply anything; rather almost all of them remained with an anxious look with their hands folded, overwhelmed with cares.

Here ends the Fourth Chapter of the Sixth Book on the defeat of the Devas by Vṛtra in the Mahā Purāṇam Śrī Mad Devī Bhāgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharṣi Veda Vyāsa.