Chapter 100 - Destruction of Dakṣa’s sacrifice (continued)

The sages said:

1. How did lord Parameśvara, Maheśvara at the instance of Dadhīca, behave after conquering all of them along with Viṣṇu?

Sūta said:

2. In the great sacrifice of Dakṣa, lord Rudra burned Devas along with Viṣṇu and sages.

3. O sages of good holy rites, his Gaṇa named Bhadra was sent by the lord Parameṣṭhin distressed as he was by the unbearable pangs of separation from the goddess.

4-8. Vīrabhadra created splendid lords of Gaṇas born of his hairs. Accompanied by them the valorous Bhadra mounted the chariot of which lord Brahmā was the charioteer. He then set out to Dakṣa’s sacrifice. The leaders of the Gaṇas with their different weapons followed him in aerial chariots splendid all round. The yard of the sacrifice was near Gaṅgādvāra^[1] on the splendid and charming peak of the Himālayas. O brahmins, the famous and splendid holy centre Kanakhala^[2] was that spot. This lordly Vīrabhadra was sent by Parameṣṭhin (i.e., lord Śiva) in order to destroy it. At that time there were portentous calamities indicating fear of danger to the world.

9. The mountains crumbled; the earth quaked; the winds whirled to and fro and the ocean became agitated.

10. The fires did not blaze; the sun did not shine; the planets were not illuminated. Neither Devas nor Dānavas looked pleased.

11-13. Then, in a trice, Bhadra entered the sacrificial yard accompanied by gaṇas born of his hairs. He was like a black fire. He spoke to Dakṣa of unmeasured splendour:—“O Dakṣa, I have been sent by the Pināka-bearing lord to burn you today along with the leading sages by mere contact of mine. After saying this the leading Gaṇa burnt that sacrificial chamber.

14. The infuriated leaders of the Gaṇas uprooted the sacrificial posts and hurled them about along with the Hotṛ and Prastotṛ. They burned everything.

15-19. The lords of the Gaṇas seized them and cast them into the runṇing current of the Gaṅgā. Vīrabhadra of great splendour and undistressed soul made the hands of Indra and other Devas stunned as they raised them. He uprooted the eyes of Bhaga sportively with the tip of his finger. With his fist he hit the teeth of Pūṣan and made them fall. He kicked the moon with the toe of his foot. He cut off the head of lord Indra. After cutting off the hands of Agni and after uprooting his tongue sportively he kicked him on his head with his leg.

20-24. He cut off the staff of Yama. He hit lord Īśāna^[3] a guardian of the quarters of great strength by means of his trident. Without any difficulty he killed thirty three Devas thus. Sportingly he killed three thousand three hundred and thirty-three Devas^[4] along with the three leading Devas. He killed the leading sages too. This lord killed those Devas who stood in readiness for fighting. Lord Rudra hit them with his fist, swords, arrows and other things. Then Viṣṇu of great splendour and intensified strength lifted up his discus, and fought with Rudra. A terrible fight ensued between them. It made hairs to stand on end.

25-30. Thanks to his yogic power, innumerable and divine bodies with conch, discus and iron clubs in their hands were born of Viṣṇu. They were equal to him in lustre. Lord Vīrabhadra killed all of them by means of his iron club and hit Viṣṇu on the head. Then he sportively hit him on the chest, he fell senseless on the ground. The lord got up again and lifted up his discus to kill him. He stood there gloriously with his eyes reddened with anger. Vīrabhadra of undistressed soul stunned his terrible discus that had the lustre of black sun and which he had kept in his hand. He did not move. He stood stunned thereby motionless like a mountain.

31. The bow of the lord was attacked with three hits and it split into three. Through contact with the tips of the bits of the bow he cut off the head of the lord.

32-37. His head that was cut off fell quickly into the nether worlds wafted by the wind originating from the vital breaths of the Pināka-bearing lord. At that time the Āhavanīya fire too entered there. On seeing the great sacrificial hall utterly in disarray with the sacred vessels destroyed, sacrificial posts broken along with the arched gateway, and the great hall burned, sacrifice fled. As it fled towards the sky in the guise of a deer, Vīrabhadra seized and beheaded it. Thereafter the powerful Vīrabhadra kicked the following on their heads, viz.—Prajāpati, Dharma, Kaśyapa the preceptor of the universe, Ariṣṭanemi the leading sage with his sons, sage Aṅgiras, Kṛṣṇāśva and the renowned Dakṣa. O excellent brahmins, he cut off Dakṣa’s head and burned it in the fire.

38-40 The valorous Vīrabhadra then slit off the tip of the nose of Sarasvatī of the mother of Devas with the tip of his finger. He stood in their midst, covered with glory like Śiva in the cremation ground.

In the meantime Brahmā of great splendour bowed down to him and imploringly addressed Bhadra thus: “O Bhadra, enough of your wrath. All the heaven-dwellers are already destroyed.

41-46. O deity of good holy rites, be pleased. May everybody be forgiven by you along with those born of your hairs. Thanks to the influence of Brahmā, Parameṣṭhin, he gradually calmed down. At his behest he became quiescent.

The bull-emblemed lord Śiva appeared in the firmament accompanied by his Gaṇas. On being requested by lord Brahmā, the great lord of all the worlds the bestower of everything gave back their own respective bodies to those who were killed. He gave back the head to Indra, to Viṣṇu, to Dakṣa and to the leading sages and others. He gave back the tip of the nose to the goddess Sarasvatī and to the mother of Devas. He gave back life to all those who were destroyed. He granted them boons and presents. He sportively made another face similar to the head of Dakṣa whose face had been destroyed.^[5]

47-51. Dakṣa regained consciousness and got up. With palms joined in reverence he eulogised the bull-bannered lord of the chiefs of Devas. On being eulogised by him the lord of great splendour granted him different boons. He bestowed the chieftaincy of Gaṇas upon Dakṣa of undistressed activities. Devas eulogised lord Nārāyaṇa with palms joined in reverence. Brahmā and the sages severally eulogised the bull-bannered, blue-necked lord who was the chief of Devas, and the cause of the origin of Brahmā. After blessing those Devas, the supreme lord vanished.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Gaṅgādvāra—identical with Haradvāra is known by various names—Mokṣadvāra, Māyādvāra, etc.

[2]:

Kanakhala—a holy place of pilgrimage near Haradvāra. Here the patriarch Dakṣa performed a sacrifice where Satī the wife of Śiva immolated herself.

[3]:

Īśānam—a guardian of the quarters, Īśāna by name, who was struck by Vīrabhadra.

[4]:

trayañ caiva. the three: Indra, Agni, and Soma.

[5]:

The head of Dakṣa, that was smashed by Vīrabhadra, was substituted by Śiva with the head of sacrificial animal.