Chapter 17 - Śukra is Confined by Kṛtyā inside Her Vulva

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Nārada said:

1-5. Then Jālandhara saw the battlefield which was fierce due to the heaps of headless trunks, and whicḥ was inaccessible due to flow of blood and flesh and due to marrow, fat and bones. There, on the battlefield, the demon Jālandhara who was distressed due to his wife being kidnapped, saw Śiva, the lord of Pārvatī, who was mounted upon a bull, whose body was adorned with the hood of a fierce serpent, who was marked with the (crescent) moon on the mass of his matted hair, and whose body was graced with the flame coming out of his eye. The Ocean’s son saw him not fighting. Having quickly got into his chariot, the Ocean’s son, getting angry, then said to Śumbha: “You have not killed the ascetic.” Śumbha said to Jālandhara: “He has practised great (i.e. severe) austerities. Therefore, he cannot be killed. Śiva is invincible in the battle.”

6-11. Having heard these words of Śumbha, the Ocean’s son was violent with anger, and taking the Kalakedāra bow, he (i.e. Jālandhara) went to Śiva, surrounded by a thousand padma army of the demons. In the battle the dreadful (demon) discharged many arrows that were sharp, very large and that had iron props, as a cloud showers (water) on its arrival. In the battle, Śiva’s attendants stopped the Ocean’s son who was coming (to Śiva). Then (the demon) was angrily struck by Śiva with volleys of fearful arrows. By Śiva’s arrows his armour was knocked down on the ground. He, even without the armour, looked like a mountain left by a cloud. The body ofJālandhara was again nailed by Śiva with arrows. From Jālandhara’s body much blood flowed. By means of the stream of blood the entire earth was moistened.

12-17. Then the gods were frightened and the dèmons trembled. The brave pramathas left the battlefield and fled. A great form like that of a river spread everywhere. Then the Ocean’s son said to Śiva: “You are the best among the archers. Now I shall do that by which you will perish.” Speaking like this, he took up the Kalakedāra bow with the arrows and quickly filled (i.e. covered) Śiva with various kinds of arrows. On the battlefield Śiva with his body covered with crores (of arrows) shone like the sky with birds or a great mountain with trees. Seeing that Śiva was covered with those arrows discharged by the demon (Jālandhara), Vīrabhadra angrily ran to Jālandhara. The powerful and magnanimous (Vīrabhadra) troubled the Ocean’s son.

18-23. Jālandhara, the brave son of the Ocean, who was angry, piercing (Vīrabhadra) with thousands of arrows reduced to pieces as small as the sesamum-seeds, with his arrows, (Vīrabhadra’s) bow, arrows, chariot, umbrella and charioteer. Then Vīrabhadra, who was without his chariot, struck the Ocean’s son with a mace. In the same way he (i.e. Jālandhara) too struck him with a mace and knocked him down on the ground. Seeing him fallen due to the stroke with mace, and very much bewildered, Maṇibhadra then ran to Jālandhara in the battle. Seeing him who was very angry, coming (to him), the demon, son of the River (Gaṅgā) scattered his implements with his arrows. Then shaking off his bewilderment, he, roaring like a lion, got up. Then Vīrabhadra and the valourous Maṇibhadra angrily struck with two rocks the River’s son remaining in the sky.

24-27. Seeing the two rocks to have fallen on his body, Vīrabhadra roared and struck the River’s son (i.e. Jālandhara) with the blow of his fist. Maṇibhdra seized the Ocean’s son by his feet and whirled him from his chariot. That was a great wonder. The very powerful king of the demons, though seized by Maṇibhadra, struck Maṇibhadra with the blows of his feet and knocked him down. That mighty-armed Jālandhara also (knocked down) Vīrabhadra with (the blow of) his fist. Then Nandikeśvara surrounded by attendants came (there).

28-35a. Seeing him coming Śumbha with his soldiers obstructed him. Then the attendants (of Śiva) and the demons came to one another fighting duels. In the battle Śumbha went to (fight with) Śilādaja, and Rāhu to (fight with) Mahākāla. Niśumbha ran to Kolāhala and Ketu to Kāla. Śailodara (ran) to Guha (i.e. Kārtikeya) and the very mighty Jambha (rushed) to Mālyavat. Mahāpārśva went to Caṇḍa and Caṇḍīśa to Romakaṇṭaka. Vikaṭāsya went to Bhṛṅgī and Urunetra to Gajānana. In this way the chiefs of the attendants went (to fight with) the lordly demons. Then Śilādaja, having an ape-like face, struck by the weapons and arrows of Śumbha, bruised him with great peaks of mountains. Śumbha, afflicted by that, struck Śilādaja with a śakti. Then in the battle Mahākāla struck that Rāhu with a śakti. He struck his chariot with a great rock. The brave Kolāhala was struck with a śakti by Niśumbha. Taking a śakti, he struck his chariot with the charioteer.

35b-41. The very angry demon, the lord of demons, who was without a chariot, struck Kolāhala with a sahasraphaṇin (a serpent-like weapon). Having struck him, he speedily went to another chariot. Struck with the phaṇicakra in the battle, he, in a moment, shook off his swoon, quickly got down from his chariot, took a sword and shield, and cut off everything including the chariot of Niśumbha. Again getting into his chariot, he struck the demon with arrows. The very strong Niśumbha too, amazed at his valour, very angrily destroyed with a śakti his chariot with the horses. Kolāhala, the mighty one who was without his chariot, went running to Niśumbha and by chaining his arms rendered him who had a chariot, chariotless. Kāla seized Ketu’s tail and whirled him into the sky. He too threw a rock. He (i.e. Kāla) quickly cut off the rock.

42-45. Seeing the rock pounded, he struck him (i.e. Ketu) with his fist. Kāla with his entire body bruised by Ketu, ran away through fear. In the same way Śailodara struck Kārtikeya on his chest with a mace. Kārtikeya also struck him with a śakti and knocked him down on the ground. Seeing the demon dead due to the stroke of the śakti, Kārtikeya roared. There was a surprise as when Krauñca was rent asunder. With volleys of arrows Mālyavat struck Jambha in the battle. Jambha too left him swooning after piercing him with sharp arrows.

46-51a. Then Mahāpārśva seized the chariot with volleys of arrows and rendering it horseless easily took it into the sky and knocked down the horseless chariot at Caṇḍa. Seeing the chariot without horses, Caṇḍa took up (i.e. mounted upon) an elephant. Caṇḍa struck with his mace Mahāpārśva attacking him. That very fierce demon, ignoring the blow of the mace, struck Caṇḍa with his fist and knocked him on the ground. The great demon Romakaṇṭha, struck by the weapon of Caṇḍīśa, seized Caṇḍīśa by the feet and dropped him on the top of chariot. All of a sudden he fell on the ground, and he of fearful eyes, went to (attack) him. Gajānana was struck with arrows by Urunetra in the battle. He struck him with his tusk in his chest and knocked him down on the ground.

51b-57. In a moment Urunetra became pacified, quickly came to the chariot, and, with a mallet, struck (Gajānana) on his head adorned with red lead. (Gajānana) the lord of (Śiva’s) attendants struck the demon (Urunetra) on his chest with a spear having a sharp edge. From his mouth came out a great demon having nine heads and eighteen arms. O king, he too ran to (Gajānana) the son of Śiva. Gajānana was obstructed by Navaśīrṣa and Urunetra. Though his body was wounded, he angrily took an axe. With that the chief of the attendants (of Śiva) cut off their weapons in the battle. Seeing that Gajānana was obstructed by the two (demons), Senānī—Kārtikeya—quickly came (there) and killed Navaśīrṣa. Having killed Navaśīrṣa in the battle, he ran to Urunetra. O king, with the blow of his (weapon called) śakti, Kārtikeya knocked him down. Jālandhara, seeing Kārtikeya, and surrounded by his army went to (attack) him.

58-62a. Śiva too through affection for his son and with his attendants (came there) to kill the demons. Then between the two armies a wonderful and very fierce battle took place. In the battle between Śiva and the Ocean’s son the heaven and earth were as if lifeless. Then the angry Jālandhara, the lord of the demons, fixed a fierce arrow and with that arrow adorned all round with feathers numbering a thousand hundreds, struck Śiva on his forehead. It sank up to its. feathered part into Śiva’s head like the moon and like the sun in the evening in the autumn at the end of the summer.

62b-66. Then Śiva took up a great arrow which resembled fire, in whose speed there was wind (i.e. which was speedy like wind), at the head of which remained fire and the sun, at whose knots remained death; in the arrow goddess Dharā (the earth) remained. With that arrow Śiva quickly pierced the Ocean’s son in his chest. Due to the stroke of the arrow, he, with his body wounded by that arrow, and wet with a stream of blood, fell down like a mountain struck by thunderbolt. At that time the demons wailed, and the pramathas (the goblin-attendants of Śiva) roared. Seeing the Ocean’s son fainted, the demons obstructed Śiva. Some were eager to protect him, others stood around him.

67-70. While Jālandhara, the Ocean’s son was in a swoon, Śiva struck the army of Jālandhara with arrows. After a long time Jālandhara gave up the swoon (i.e. regained consciousness), and, full of fear, saw his army killed (by Śiva) and dispersed on the battlefield; he mentally remembered his great preceptor, Śukra. Remembered by him, Śukra quickly came to Jālandhara. Wishing him well, Śukra said to the Ocean’s son: “O great king, O mighty one, what mission of you should I do?”

Nārada said:

71. Hearing these words of Śukra, Jālandhara very much honoured Śukra, his preceptor, and saluting him said:

The king said:

72-76. O Śukra, bring back to life all these demons that are dead all around.

Thus addressed by the Ocean’s son in the battle, he observed the army which measured twenty-five thousand yojanas and which was further and further crowded with the bodies and chariots of the demons piled up on earth up to ninety-five yojanas. (He) then (saw) the earth as it were full of the bodies of the warriors and horses (and elephants). Having sprinkled the demons with charmed water, Śukra made them rise up. While Śiva tied firmly the mass of his matted hair with serpents, Śukra made the army rise up by means of a charm.

77-80. Śiva thought on seeing the demons that had come, as lions do on seeing tigers or lordly elephants do on seeing pigs: ‘What has happened here? Somewhere he creates (i.e. brings back to life) the dead.’ Thinking like this on the battlefield, Śiva saw on the battlefield, Śukra bringing back the demons to life and running faster (i.e. very fast). Then Śiva who was angry, made up his mind to kill Śukra. Requesting the Trident-holder (Śiva) in private, Śukra said to him: “I am a brāhmaṇa. How do (i.e. can) you kill a brāhmaṇa skilled in all lores? O Śiva, you will incur (the sin of killing) a brāhmaṇa on killing me.

81-84. Hearing these words of Śukra, Śiva gave up the trident. On remembering the former account, viz. the sticking of Brahmā’s head (he thought:) ‘A brāhmaṇa is not to be killed, even if he takes away one’s life dear to one. But this (Śukra) who is bringing the demons back to life, must be fully curbed by me. Therefore, I shall quickly throw him leading the life of a demon, into the vulva of a woman.’ From the third eye of Śiva who was thinking like this, a female deity to whom sacrifices are offered for destructive and magical purposes, quickly (came out). She was naked, very fierce; she had let loose her hair; her belly was big. Her breasts were big and hanging; Her vulva, fangs and eyes were fearful.

85-89. Śiva, who was addressed by her, ‘Order (me)’, said to her: “O Kṛtyā, put quickly the wicked-minded preceptor of the demons into your vulva; and carry (i.e. keep) him in your vulva till I kill Jālandhara. After the demon Jālandhara is killed, you take him out and release him.” That deity to whom sacrifices are offered for destructive and magical purposes, who was thus told by Śiva, ran to Śukra. On seeing her the demon fell on the ground; and the demons fled. Shaking Śukra by seizing his hair, she embraced Śukra, and laughing, she held him in her vulva, O Jayanandana. Seeing his preceptor put by the deity into her vulva when Jālandhara fixed the arrows, she disappeared.