SB6.10.15

TEXT 15

vrtram abhyadravac chatrum

asuranika-yuthapaih

paryastam ojasa rajan

kruddho rudra ivantakam

SYNONYMS

vrtram—Vrtrasura; abhyadravat—attacked; satrum—the enemy; asura-anika-yuthapaih—by the commanders or captains of the soldiers of the asuras; paryastam—surrounded; ojasa—with great force; rajan—O King; kruddhah—being angry; rudrah—an incarnation of Lord Siva; iva—like; antakam—Antaka, or Yamaraja.

TRANSLATION

My dear King Pariksit, as Rudra, being very angry at Antaka [Yamaraja] had formerly run toward Antaka to kill him, Indra angrily and with great force attacked Vrtrasura, who was surrounded by the leaders of the demoniac armies.

SB6.10.16

TEXT 16

tatah suranam asurai

ranah parama-darunah

treta-mukhe narmadayam

abhavat prathame yuge

SYNONYMS

tatah—thereafter; suranam—of the demigods; asuraih—with the demons; ranah—a great battle; parama-darunah—very fearful; treta-mukhe—in the beginning of Treta-yuga; narmadayam—on the bank of the River Narmada; abhavat—took place; prathame—in the first; yuge—millennium.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter, at the end of Satya-yuga and the beginning of Treta-yuga, a fierce battle took place between the demigods and the demons on the bank of the Narmada.

PURPORT

Herein the Narmada does not mean the Narmada River in India. The five sacred rivers in India—Ganga, Yamuna, Narmada, Kaveri and Krsna—are all celestial. Like the Ganges River, the Narmada River also flows in the higher planetary systems. The battle between the demigods and the demons took place in the higher planets.

SB6.10.19-22

TEXTS 19–22

namucih sambaro ’narva

dvimurdha rsabho ’surah

hayagrivah sankusira

vipracittir ayomukhah

puloma vrsaparva ca

prahetir hetir utkalah

daiteya danava yaksa

raksamsi ca sahasrasah

sumali-mali-pramukhah

kartasvara-paricchadah

pratisidhyendra-senagram

mrtyor api durasadam

abhyardayann asambhrantah

simha-nadena durmadah

gadabhih parighair banaih

prasa-mudgara-tomaraih

SYNONYMS

namucih—Namuci; sambarah—Sambara; anarva—Anarva; dvimurdha—Dvimurdha; rsabhah—Rsabha; asurah—Asura; hayagrivah—Hayagriva; sankusirah—Sankusira; vipracittih—Vipracitti; ayomukhah—Ayomukha; puloma—Puloma; vrsaparva—Vrsaparva; ca—also; prahetih—Praheti; hetih—Heti; utkalah—Utkala; daiteyah—the Daityas; danavah—the Danavas; yaksah—the Yaksas; raksamsi—the Raksasas; ca—and; sahasrasah—by the thousands; sumali-mali-pramukhah—others, headed by Sumali and Mali; kartasvara—of gold; paricchadah—dressed in ornaments; pratisidhya—keeping back; indra-sena-agram—the front of Indra’s army; mrtyoh—for death; api—even; durasadam—difficult to approach; abhyardayan—harassed; asambhrantah—without fear; simha-nadena—with a sound like a lion; durmadah—furious; gadabhih—with clubs; parighaih—with iron-studded bludgeons; banaih—with arrows; prasa-mudgara-tomaraih—with barbed missiles, mallets and lances.

TRANSLATION

Many hundreds and thousands of demons, demi-demons, Yaksas, Raksasas [man-eaters] and others, headed by Sumali and Mali, resisted the armies of King Indra, which even death personified cannot easily overcome. Among the demons were Namuci, Sambara, Anarva, Dvimurdha, Rsabha, Asura, Hayagriva, Sankusira, Vipracitti, Ayomukha, Puloma, Vrsaparva, Praheti, Heti and Utkala. Roaring tumultuously and fearlessly like lions, these invincible demons, all dressed in golden ornaments, gave pain to the demigods with weapons like clubs, bludgeons, arrows, barbed darts, mallets and lances.

SB6.10.23

TEXT 23

sulaih parasvadhaih khadgaih

sataghnibhir bhusundibhih

sarvato ’vakiran sastrair

astrais ca vibudharsabhan

SYNONYMS

sulaih—by spears; parasvadhaih—by axes; khadgaih—by swords; sataghnibhih—by sataghnis; bhusundibhih—by bhusundis; sarvatah—all around; avakiran—scattered; sastraih—with weapons; astraih—with arrows; ca—and; vibudha-rsabhan—the chiefs of the demigods.

TRANSLATION

Armed with lances, tridents, axes, swords and other weapons like sataghnis and bhusundis, the demons attacked from different directions and scattered all the chiefs of the demigod armies.

SB6.10.24

TEXT 24

na te ’drsyanta sanchannah

sara-jalaih samantatah

punkhanupunkha-patitair

jyotimsiva nabho-ghanaih

SYNONYMS

na—not; te—they (the demigods); adrsyanta—were seen; sanchannah—being completely covered; sara-jalaih—by networks of arrows; samantatah—all around; punkha-anupunkha—one arrow after another; patitaih—falling; jyotimsi iva—like the stars in the sky; nabhah-ghanaih—by the dense clouds.

TRANSLATION

As the stars in the sky cannot be seen when covered by dense clouds, the demigods, being completely covered by networks of arrows falling upon them one after another, could not be seen.

SB6.10.25

TEXT 25

na te sastrastra-varsaugha

hy aseduh sura-sainikan

chinnah siddha-pathe devair

laghu-hastaih sahasradha

SYNONYMS

na—not; te—those; sastra-astra-varsa-oghah—showers of arrows and other weapons; hi—indeed; aseduh—reached; sura-sainikan—the armies of the demigods; chinnah—cut; siddha-pathe—in the sky; devaih—by the demigods; laghu-hastaih—quick-handed; sahasradha—into thousands of pieces.

TRANSLATION

The showers of various weapons and arrows released to kill the soldiers of the demigods did not reach them because the demigods, acting quickly, cut the weapons into thousands of pieces in the sky.

SB6.10.26

TEXT 26

atha ksinastra-sastraugha

giri-srnga-drumopalaih

abhyavarsan sura-balam

cicchidus tams ca purvavat

SYNONYMS

atha—thereupon; ksina—being reduced; astra—of the arrows released by mantras; sastra—and weapons; oghah—the multitudes; giri—of mountains; srnga—with the peaks; druma—with trees; upalaih—and with stones; abhyavarsan—showered; sura-balam—the soldiers of the demigods; cicchiduh—broke to pieces; tan—them; ca—and; purva-vat—as before.

TRANSLATION

As their weapons and mantras decreased, the demons began showering mountain peaks, trees and stones upon the demigod soldiers, but the demigods were so powerful and expert that they nullified all these weapons by breaking them to pieces in the sky as before.

SB6.10.27

TEXT 27

tan aksatan svastimato nisamya

sastrastra-pugair atha vrtra-nathah

drumair drsadbhir vividhadri-srngair

aviksatams tatrasur indra-sainikan

SYNONYMS

tan—them (the soldiers of the demigods); aksatan—not injured; svasti-matah—being very healthy; nisamya—seeing; sastra-astra-pugaih—by the bunches of weapons and mantras; atha—thereupon; vrtra-nathah—the soldiers led by Vrtrasura; drumaih—by the trees; drsadbhih—by the stones; vividha—various; adri—of mountain s; srngaih—by the peaks; aviksatan—not injured; tatrasuh—became afraid; indra-sainikan—the soldiers of King Indra.

TRANSLATION

When the soldiers of the demons, commanded by Vrtrasura, saw that the soldiers of King Indra were quite well, having not been injured at all by their volleys of weapons, not even by the trees, stones and mountain peaks, the demons were very much afraid.

SB6.10.28

TEXT 28

sarve prayasa abhavan vimoghah

krtah krta deva-ganesu daityaih

krsnanukulesu yatha mahatsu

ksudraih prayukta usati ruksa-vacah

SYNONYMS

sarve—all; prayasah—endeavors; abhavan—were; vimoghah—futile; krtah—performed; krtah—again performed; deva-ganesu—unto the demigods; daityaih—by the demons; krsna-anukulesu—who were always protected by Krsna; yatha—just as; mahatsu—unto the Vaisnavas; ksudraih—by insignificant persons; prayuktah—used; usatih—unfavorable; ruksa—rough; vacah—words.

TRANSLATION

When insignificant persons use rough words to cast false, angry accusations against saintly persons, their fruitless words do not disturb the great personalities. Similarly, all the efforts of the demons against the demigods, who were favorably situated under the protection of Krsna, were futile.

PURPORT

SB6.10.30

TEXT 30

vrtro ’surams tan anugan manasvi

pradhavatah preksya babhasa etat

palayitam preksya balam ca bhagnam

bhayena tivrena vihasya virah

SYNONYMS

vrtrah—Vrtrasura, the commander of the demons; asuran—all the demons; tan—them; anugan—his followers; manasvi—the great-minded; pradhavatah—fleeing; preksya—observing; babhasa—spoke; etat—this; palayitam—fleeing; preksya—seeing; balam—army; ca—and; bhagnam—broken; bhayena—out of fear; tivrena—intense; vihasya—smiling; virah—the great hero.

TRANSLATION

Seeing his army broken and all the asuras, even those known as great heroes, fleeing the battlefield out of intense fear, Vrtrasura, who was truly a great-minded hero, smiled and spoke the following words.

SB6.10.31

TEXT 31

kalopapannam ruciram manasvinam

jagada vacam purusa-pravirah

he vipracitte namuce puloman

mayanarvan chambara me srnudhvam

SYNONYMS

kala-upapannam—suitable to the time and circumstances; ruciram—very beautiful; manasvinam—to the great, deep-minded personalities; jagada—spoke; vacam—words; purusa-pravirah—the hero among heroes, Vrtrasura; he—O; vipracitte—Vipracitti; namuce—O Namuci; puloman—O Puloma; maya—O Maya; anarvan—O Anarva; sambara—O Sambara; me—from me; srnudhvam—please hear.

TRANSLATION

According to his position and the time and circumstances, Vrtrasura, the hero among heroes, spoke words that were much to be appreciated by thoughtful men. He called to the heroes of the demons, “O Vipracitti! O Namuci! O Puloma! O Maya, Anarva and Sambara! Please hear me and do not flee.”

SB6.10.32

TEXT 32

jatasya mrtyur dhruva eva sarvatah

pratikriya yasya na ceha klpta

loko yasas catha tato yadi hy amum

ko nama mrtyum na vrnita yuktam

SYNONYMS

jatasya—of one who has taken birth (all living beings); mrtyuh—death; dhruvah—inevitable; eva—indeed; sarvatah—everywhere in the universe; pratikriya—counteraction; yasya—of which; na—not; ca—also; iha—in this material world; klpta—devised; lokah—promotion to higher planets; yasah—reputation and glory; ca—and; atha—then; tatah—from that; yadi—if; hi—indeed; amum—that; kah—who; nama—indeed; mrtyum—death; na—not; vrnita—would accept; yuktam—suitable.

TRANSLATION

Vrtrasura said: All living entities who have taken birth in this material world must die. Surely, no one in this world has found any means to be saved from death. Even providence has not provided a means to escape it. Under the circumstances, death being inevitable, if one can gain promotion to the higher planetary systems and be always celebrated here by dying a suitable death, what man will not accept such a glorious death?

PURPORT