Chapter 12 - Vṛtra slain by Indra

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

The Sage (Śuka) said:

1. In this way, Vṛtra who was eager to [lay down his life (body) in the battle, and who thought death preferable to victory, seized his trident and attacked the Chief of gods, just

as the demon Kaiṭabha did against the Almighty Lord Viṣṇu, on the Cosmic waters of the deluge, Oh King.

2. Then, whirling with force his trident with prongs, dazzling like the fire of Pralaya (the dissolution of the universe), he hurled it at the great Indra. The valiant Vṛtra roared aloud and exclaimed in wrath, “Killed are you Oh wicked fellow”.

3. Seeing that (trident) darting through the sky with a whirling motion, and unbearable to look at like a dazzling planet or meteor, Indra remained unperturbed. The wielder of thunderbolt i.e. Indra cut it with his Vajra of hundred joints, along with Vṛtra’s arm which was long and stout like the body of the serpent lord Vāsuki.

4. Vṛtra whose arm was cut, became extremely enraged and dashing at Indra, he dealt a blow both to Indra and his elephant on the cheek. And the bolt slipped down from the hand of Indra.

5. Gods, demons, the companies of Cāraṇas and Siddhas applauded the most marvellous feat of Vṛtra, but seeing the critical plight of Indra, they shouted loudly in great anxiety, “Alas, Alas”.

6. Being very much ashamed, Indra did not pick up his bolt which slipped from his hand in the presence of the enemy. To him Vṛtra said, “Oh Indra, take up your Vajra and kill your enemy. This is not the time for despondency”.

7. With the exception of the Omniscient, beginningless, Eternal Person, the Controller of the creation, maintenance and destruction of the universe, victory does not always favour the belligerents equipped with weapons anywhere, as there are some occasions when their bodies are controlled by others (destiny).

8. It is due to the control of God (in the form of Time) that the worlds along with their guardian deities live and act, in spite of their will, like birds caught in a net. Hence it is the Time-spirit alone which is the cause of victory and defeat.

9. Not knowing that the Time (or god) is the cause of the power of the mind, the potency of the sense organs, physical strength, vital breaths, immortality or Liberation and death that people regard this gross body of theirs as the cause (of victory).

10. Just as a wooden doll or a mechanical toy-deer is controlled by the showman or the mechanism, similarly all the bhūtas (beings or elements) are subject to the control of god.

11. In the absence of his grace, neither the individual Soul, nor Prakṛti (primordial matter), nor Mahat (cosmic intelligence), nor ego, nor elements, nor the cognitive and conative organs or the mind is individually or aggregatively capable of the creative and other activities (pertaining to the universe).

12. He who is ignorant of this, regards his incapable Self as capable of doing this. But it is really the Lord who creates or evolves beings or elements from Bhūtas, and devours them through carnivorous beasts or withdraws the elements at his own sweet will.

13. It is at the favourable time that length of life, affluence, glory, power and blessings fall to the lot of man. They are reversed against them even against his will.

14. Therefore, one should be balanced, irrespective of glory and infamy, victory or defeat, pleasure or pain, life or death.

15. He who knows that Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas are the modes of Prakṛti and not the qualities of the Soul, and that the individual Soul is merely the witness of their working, is not subjected to the bondage of Saṃsāra.

16. Oh Indra, look at me. I am defeated and deprived of the weapon and my arm in the battle. I am however endeavouring to the best of my ability to take your life.

17. This battle-field is like a gambling house where life is the stake, arrows are the dice and the vehicles like horses, elephants etc. are the board. Here it is not known who will be triumphant and who is defeated (to the last of the fight).

Śrī Śuka said:

18. Having heard the straightforward and guileless speech of Vṛtra, Indra expressed his respect. Picking up his Vajra and overcoming astonishment (at his charitable disposition), he laughed heartily and spoke.

Indra said:

19. Oh son of Danu, you are really a Siddha (one who has attained enlightenment) as your tenor of thought is such. You are a real devotee, with all your being, of the Lord, a friend of the universe.

20. Your respectable self has verily crossed the Māyā (deluding power) of Viṣṇu which infatuates the world, as your honourable self has given up his demonic nature and attained the level of exalted Souls.

21. It is certainly a great wonder that you who are Rājasic by nature, entertain unflinching faith and devotion in. the glorious Lord Vāsudeva who is the embodiment of Sattva.

22. He who cherishes devotion to the glorious Hari, the bestower of Mokṣa, has as if sported in the ocean of nectar. Of what account are to him waters of the ditches and the pools (i. e. pleasures in the heaven)?

Śrī Śuka said:

23. Oh King, discoursing this way with a desire to ascertain the nature of Dharma (righteousness), those two leading veterans in fight, Indra and Vṛtra, possessed of extraordinary prowess, fought on.

24. Vṛtra, the vanquisher of enemies, whirled his terrible bludgeon made of black iron and hurled that dreadful weapon with his left hand at Indra, Oh noble king.

25. But the god with his bolt of hundred joints, simultaneously cut down that iron bludgeon as well as Vṛtra’s hand which was like the trunk of an elephant.

26. The demon with both of his arms cut at the roots and streaming forth profuse blood shone like a mountain with wings chopped, and dislodged from the sky by being struck down by the wielder of thunderbolt.

27-29. With his lower jaw touching the earth and his upper jaw brushing the heavens, and with his mouth deep like the sky and with his lusty serpent like tongue and with his large teeth looking like the god of Death, he was as it were swallowing the three worlds. With his extremely gigantic body he was shaking the mountains with his violent motion, and like a big mountain moving on feet, he was pounding the earth. He thus assailed Indra and swallowed him up along with his vehicle namely the elephant Airāvata.

30. (Vṛtra swallowed them) as a big serpent of immense strength and indomitable power swallows up an elephant. Gods along with the protectors of the worlds and great sages observed Indra being swallowed up by Vṛtra and wailed despondently “Alas, how unfortunate”!

31. Though Indra was swallowed up by the chief of demons, he entered Vṛtra’s belly. Protected as he was by the armour of the Supreme Person (Nārāyaṇa Kavaca) and by his Yogic powers and Māyā, he did not die.

32. Ripping open the abdomen of Vṛtra by his Vajra, the powerful vanquisher of Bala, came out of it and by his power lopped off the enemy’s head, like the peak of a mountain, by his Vajra.

33. Whirling very rapidly and cutting on all sides the neck of Vṛtra, Vajra felled it on the ground at the proper time of Vṛtra’s death in as many days (360) as are required for the heavenly bodies like the Sun for two Ayanas (the apparent motions of the Sun from the northernmost to the southernmost point and vice versa.

34. At that time kettle-drums were sounded in the sky, Gandharvas, Siddhas along with companies of great sages, joyously showered flowers on Indra glorifying him with panegyrics describing his great feat of killing Vṛtra.

35. Oh vanquisher of the enemies, while all people were looking on, from the body of Vṛtra there came forth a light (his effulgent Soul) and merged in the Supreme Being, transcending the universe.