Verse 1.13.46

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.13.46:

হৈহয, নহুষ, বেণ, বাণ, নরক, রাবণ মহা-দিগ্বিজযী শুনিযাছ যে যে-জন ॥ ৪৬ ॥

हैहय, नहुष, वेण, बाण, नरक, रावण महा-दिग्विजयी शुनियाछ ये ये-जन ॥ ४६ ॥

haihaya, nahuṣa, veṇa, bāṇa, naraka, rāvaṇa mahā-digvijayī śuniyācha ye ye-jana || 46 ||

haihaya, nahusa, vena, bana, naraka, ravana maha-digvijayi suniyacha ye ye-jana (46)

English translation:

(46) “You must have heard of the great Digvijayīs of the past like Haihaya, Nahuṣa, Veṇa, Bāṇa, Naraka, and Rāvaṇa.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

Haihaya, or Kārtavīryārjuna, was the King of Māhiṣmatīpura. He received one thousand arms by the blessing of Lord Dattātreya and was killed by the hands of Lord Paraśurāma. A description of these incidents is found in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (9.15.17-35), the Mahābhārata (Tīrtha-yātrā- parva of the Vana-parva 115.10-18 and 116.19-24), the Hari-vaṃśa (1.33), the Vāyu Purāṇa (Chapter 94), the Matsya Purāṇa (Chapter 43) and the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa (Chapter 16).

Nahuṣa was born in the womb of Svarbhāṇavī by Āyu, who was the son of Purūravā, the saintly king of the dynasty of the moon-god. He was the father of Mahārāja Yayāti. A description of Nahuṣa’s becoming intoxicated by opulence, illusioned, and falldown is described in the Mahābhārata (Ājagara-parva of the Vana-parva, 280.11-14, 181.30-37 and Udyoga-parva 11.10-24, Chapter 12, and Chapter 17), the Hari- vaṃśa (1.28), the Vāyu Purāṇa (Chapter 92), and the Brahma Purāṇa (Chapter 11).

Veṇa was the ghostly haunted, atheistic son of the saintly King Aṅga. A description of his atheism born of self-worship, his immediate

destruction by the curse of brāhmaṇas who observed his cruelty towards other living entities, and the appearance of Mahārāja Pṛthu from the churning of his arms is found in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (4.13.39-49 and 4.14.1-46). Veṇa was averse to serving the Lord through lust, fear, envy, familial relationship, affection, or devotion and averse to the strong favorable cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, so as a result of his heinous sins he fell into the darkest region of hell forever. That is why there was no hope for his deliverance. The saintly King Yudhiṣṭhira spoke to Śrī Nārada Muni in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (7.1.32) as follows:

katamo ‘pi na venaḥ syāt pañcānāṃ puruṣaṃ prati tasmāt kenāpy upāyena manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet

“Somehow or other, one must consider the form of Kṛṣṇa very seriously. Then, by one of the five different processes mentioned above, one can return home, back to Godhead. Atheists like King Vena, however, being unable to think of Kṛṣṇa’s form in any of these five ways, cannot attain salvation. Therefore, one must somehow think of Kṛṣṇa, whether in a friendly way or inimically.”

The hundred-armed Bāṇa was a dear servant of Rudra and son of Mahārāja Bali, the king of the demons. His other name is Mahākāla. A description of Bāṇa and the vanquishment of his pride by Kṛṣṇa is found in the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Chapters 62 and 63, and in the Hari-vaṃśa (2.1.18).

Naraka was a great demon born in the womb of Bhumi, mother earth, by the touch of Varāhadeva. His death at the hands of Kṛṣṇa is described in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (10.59.1-22), in the Hari-vaṃśa (2.63), and in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (5.29).

Rāvaṇa’s birth, austerities, and pride resulting from victories in battle by the influence of a benediction are described in the Rāmāyaṇa (Uttara- kāṇḍa, Chapters 9-39). Descriptions of his anger on hearing news of the death of Khara and Dūṣaṇa at the hands of Śrī Rāma and the incidents beginning with his kidnapping of māyā Sītā up to his death are found in

the Rāmāyaṇa (Araṇya-kāṇḍa, Chapters 31-56, Sundara-kāṇḍa, Chapters 4-22, Laṅkā-kāṇḍa, Chapters 6-16, 26-31, 40, 59, 62, 63, 93, 96, 101, 103,

and 111), in the Mahābhārata (Draupadī-haraṇa-parva within the Vana- parva, Chapters 274, 277, 280, 284, and 289), and in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Ninth Canto, Chapter 10.

The word mahā-digvijayī refers to brāhmaṇas who conquer the eight directions on the strength of their knowledge, kṣatriyas who conquer the eight directions in battle on the strength of their arms, and vaiśyas who conquer the eight directions on the strength of their wealth, earned through farming and trade.