Chapter 97 - The Conquest of Amarāvatī by Jālandhara

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Nārada said:

1-6a. Those demons living in the nether world and formerly vanquished by gods, became fearless and came to the earth to serve him. Some time seeing Rāhu with his head cut off, the lord of the demons asked the brāhmaṇa, viz. Śukra: “O lord, who has done this?” Bhārgava told him (the account of) the cutting off of Rāhu’s head and the churning of the ocean for nectar done by gods. So also the snatching of the jewels and the defeat of the demons. Hearing about that churning of his father, his eyes were red with anger. He sent a gluttonous messenger to Indra. The messenger, going to heaven, quickly reached the assembly of gods, (and) with his head not bent due to pride, said to the lord of gods.

The messenger said:

6b-8. The Ocean’s son Jalandhara is the lord of all demons. I. am the messenger sent by him. Listen to what he has said: “Why did you churn my father with a mountain? Give back quickly to me all those jewels taken (by you).”

Hearing these words of the messenger, the lord of the gods was amazed. And with fear and anger he spoke to the fearful, voracious (messenger):

The lord said:

9-12. Listen, O messenger, since the mountains afraid of me were put by him to his side, I formerly churned the Ocean. He also protected my other enemies, the sons of Diti. Therefore, I took away all that collection of the jewels. Formerly Śaṅkha, the Ocean’s son, hated gods. He too, struck by my younger brother (i.e. Viṣṇu), entered the interior of the Ocean. So go and tell him fully the reason of the churning (of the Ocean).

Nārada said:

13-23. The messenger, thus dismissed by Indra, came home. He then told the words (i.e. the message) of Indra to his king. Hearing it, the demon, with his lips quivering with anger, quickly exerted (himself) with a desire to conquer the gods. In that exertion of (conquering) Indra, the sons of Diti came in hundreds and crores from the directions and the nether world. The demon (Jalandhara) with crores of generals of the army like Śumbha and Niśumbha, went to heaven and stood for the war. Gods, furnished with armours for the war, went out of Amarāvatī. Seeing the demon-army, they stood surrounding the city. Then the war between the armies of gods and demons took place with (the use of) pestles, iron clubs, arrows, maces, axes and (the weapons called) śakti. Rushing to one another, they struck one another. In a moment the two armies were wet with the stream of blood. The battlefield appeared like the evening with the cover of clouds, due to the elephants, horses, chariots and foot-soldiers that had fallen and that were being knocked down. Bhārgava brought back to life the demons killed in that war with drops of water consecrated with the magic formulas bringing back the dead to life. In the same way Bṛhaspati also brought the gods back to life in that war after repeatedly bringing the herbs from the region of Droṇa (mountain). Seeing gods again coming back to life in that war Jalandhara, being angry, said (these) words to Bhārgava:

Jalandhara said:

24. How is it that the gods killed by me in the war again come back to life? It is well-known that your science of bringing back (the dead) to life does not reside anywhere else (i.e. is not known to anyone else).

Bhṛgu said:

25. Bṛhaspati, bringing herbs from the Droṇa mountain, brings back the gods to life. Quickly snatch away the Droṇa mountain.

Nārada said:

26-33. The lord of the demons, thus told, quickly took the Droṇa mountain and threw it into the ocean and again came back to the great battle(field). Then seeing the gods killed, Guru went to the Droṇa mountain. He, honoured by the gods, did not see the lordly mountain there. Knowing that Droṇa was snatched by the demon, he was sad and overcome by fear. He with his body overcome by breathlessness (i.e. panting), spoke from a distance: “Flee, flee; he cannot be conquered. He is born of the portion of Rudra. Remember Indra’s act.” Hearing his words, gods, overpowered by fear and being killed by the demons, ran in the ten directions. Seeing the gods rent, the demon, the Ocean’s son, entered Amarāvatī with the sounds of conches, drums and shouts of victory. When the demon entered the city, gods led by Indra and tormented by the demons, reached a cave in Meru and lived there. Then having separately made the excellent demons like Śumbha in-charge of Indra etc. he (i.e. Jalandhara) again went to the cave on the golden mountain (i.e. Meru).