Chapter 81 - Greatness of Śrī Daityasūdana

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Īśvara said:

1-6. Thereafter, a pilgrim should go to the shrine of Daityasūdana, the Lord of Devas, O great goddess. The deity destroys the sins of all the creatures residing in Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

It has been there for ages and is beginningless. It is splendid and it bestows all desires. For the sake of crossing the terrible ocean of worldly existence, it is stationed like a boat.

At the end of a Kalpa, i.e. a day of Brahmā, O goddess of Devas, all other things perish excepting these. They are: Nyagrodha (holy fig tree) that lives for seven Kalpas, Kalpa Vṛkṣa (Wish-yielding Kalpa tree), the Agāra (Mine) of Vaiḍūrya (gem) and the excellent mountain of Vaiḍūrya, Lord Śrīdaityasūdana and the great sage Mārkaṇḍeya.

1. Maternal uncle of Nakula and Sahadeva (Paṇḍavas).

O beautiful lady, these are everlasting and immutable for seven Kalpas. O goddess, of what avail is saying too much and describing repeatedly?

There is no other deity on the earth, O goddess, superior to Śrīdaityasūdana. His holy spot is of the shape of a Yava (barley) and it is sin-destroying.

7. It is resorted to by Sages (Ṛṣis), Siddhas, Yakṣas, Vidyādharas and Uragas, O beautiful lady. I shall tell you the borders of that holy spot of Viṣṇu.

8. In east the holy spot extends upto Yameśvara; in west upto Śrīsomeśa, In the north, the limit is Viśālākṣī and in south it is the Lord of rivers (Sea).

9. This holy spot of Viṣṇu, of the shape of a barley grain, is destructive of sins.

10. Even sinning men who die here in the holy spot all go to heaven like good men of meritorious deeds.

11. O my beloved, donations as charity, Homa or Japa and penance performed here, and whatever is done is said to be everlasting, for a period of seven Kalpas.

12. O goddess, if a devotee feeds even one Brāhmaṇa with Viṣṇu in view there in accordance with the injunctions, it is as good as feeding ten millions.

13-14. A devout man should observe fast with great devotion. Even from a single Upavāsa (fast) the benefit of ten thousand Upavāsas is obtained. The man shall take his holy bath in the Cakra Tīrtha and observe fast fully controlling all the sense-organs. On the twelfth lunar day in the month of Kārttika, he should offer gold to Brāhmaṇas after duly adoring Viṣṇu. He is rid of all sins.

The Devī said:

15. O Lord of Devas, why does he have the name Daityasūdana? And at what time? Tell it to me in details

Īśvara said:

16. Listen, O goddess, I shall describe his demon-destroying (Daityasūdana’s) greatness. The previous activities of Lord Daityasūdana are conducive to great prosperity.

17. His names are different in the different Kalpas, O goddess. Though beginningless and deathless, they appear repeatedly.

18. In the earlier Kalpa it was Śriyāvṛtta [Śrīyāvṛtta?]. In the second Kalpa it is Vāmana. In the third it is Vajrāṅga and in the fourth it is Kamalāpriya.

19. He is remembered as Duḥkhahartā (Destroyer of Miseries) in the fifth Kalpa and in the sixth it is Puruṣottama. The Lord is remembered as Śrī Daityasūdana in the seventh Kalpa.

20. I shall correctly tell his name and its origin.

21. Formerly in battle, all the Devas were conquered by the Dānavas, the thorns unto Devas. They sought refuge in Had, the resident of the Milk Ocean. They eulogized him and stood by bowing down.

The Devas said:

22. Hail unto you, O Lord, O Lord of the worlds! O suppressor of the Daityas, be victorious. After assuming the form of Boar, the earth was raised up by you.

23-24. Adopting the form of Fish, the Vedas were lifted up by you from within the ocean. You became one in the form of Tortoise and churned the Milk Ocean. O Lord of the worlds, Śrī (Lakṣmī) was then lifted up. Obeisance to you, O Lord, O consort of Śrī O supporter of Śrī, you are the destroyer of the distress of distressed ones.

25. Bali was kept bound by you in the form of a dwarf; by you, the enemy of Asuras, the great Daitya Hiraṇyākṣa and Hiraṇyakaśipu were killed.

26. He was held in the space by you in the form of a Man-lion. O great Lord, O origin of the Devas, the universe is raised up by you.

27. Without you, O Lord of the worlds, the Cosmos is rendered lustreless. When the universe is over-run by Dānavas as though by darkness, you showed your exploit like the Sun.

28. On hearing this prayer, O goddess, the lotus-eyed Viṣṇu spoke to the Devas beginning with Brahmā when he was wakened up from the Milk Ocean.

29. “Give up your fear, O Devas, of Dānavas in every respect. Ere long I shall slay the Dānavas.”

30. After saying thus, Janārdana came down along with them. With his discus, he slew the Dānavas one by one.

31. All the Dānavas began to flee in their distress due to fear. They reached the holy spot of Prabhāsa and stood face to face with the Sea.

32. The destroyer of the Daityas (Viṣṇu) saw them ready to perish. With his discus he killed all the Dānavas without leaving anyone behind.

33. When all the Daityas had been killed, the whole universe along with the Devas, Brāhmaṇas, and ascetics came to normalcy without agitation.

34. Ever since then, the deity came to be known by the name Daityasūdana. O beautiful lady, his greatness has been spoken to you entirely. The greatness of Lord Daityasūdana is conducive to great fortune and prosperity.

35. On seeing him no one is ever born dullard, blind, poor or miserable for seven successive generations. O lady of excellent countenance, this is the truth. I repeat, this is the truth.

36-37. Men should assiduously observe fast in the presence of Daityasūdana on the twelfth lunar day in the month of Śrāvaṇa, the meritoriously splendid Aṣṭamī (eighth lunar day) coinciding with Rohiṇī and on the eleventh days of Aṣāḍha and Kārttika (Śayana and Utthāpana). By means of a single fast, the merit of ten thousand fasts is obtained. There is no doubt.

38. Even a dog-cooking Cāṇḍāla, a creature of the low status and strata attains the world of Acyuta on the cessation of life therein.

39. Persons in the holy spot of Daityasūdana should have perfect faith. They should observe fast for the whole months of Kārttika and Vaiśākha.

40. By the power of the holy spot of Viṣṇu, they obtain the merit of crores and crores of fasts for each of the fasts.

41. If anyone offers a lamp there for a month or even a fortnight, he shall get the fruit of a crore of lamps on account of the offer for everyone of the lamps.

42. The devotee abstaining from food on the eleventh lunar day shall bathe the Four-armed Lord of Devas with Pañcāmṛta and worship him. He shall become Acyuta himself.

43. Keśava becomes pleased with one who regularly spends Cāturmāsya (the period of the four months of rainy season) in the presence of Daityasūdana in accordance with the injunctions.

44. By visiting Daityasūdana, one obtains that fruit entirely which one obtains by performing crores of Cāturmāsyas in the other holy spots.

45. By visiting Daityasūdana one gets that meritorious fruit which one may obtain by offering the entire Cosmic Egg (as a charitable gift).

46. A man who performs the rite of Jāgara (keeping awake at night) there on the eleventh lunar day along with songs, instrumental music, dances and dramatic presentations of various kinds goes to the world of Viṣṇu. He does not return after going there.

47. Bhadrā (the twelfth lunar day), by means of Jāgara during the night, dispels all the sins committed by anyone formerly and held pending such as ten thousand crimes of murder and innumerable thefts of gold.

48. If the night of Bhadrā is spent in Jāgara men do not see evil dreams of the pathways of death, City of Death, Yama’s messengers and the forest of Khaḍgapatra (sword-leaved trees) hanging from the sky.

49. One may duly offer a thousand virgins after adorning them with jewels considering that it is his pious duty; another may offer a thousand cows in Kurujāṅgala. But the benefits of all these are obtained by means of Jāgara of Viṣṇu.

50. After observing fast one should eat the Naivedya (food offered to the deity) mixed with Tulasī leaves. This destroys the sin of crores of murders.

51. Thus, O goddess, the sin-destroying greatness of Lord Daityasūdana has been described to you. What else do you ask?

52. One shall offer yellow garments, cows and gold to the deity after taking holy bath in the excellent Cakra Tīrtha. One is thus rid of all sins.