Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 6: “Prescribed Duties for Mankind”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Eleven
The Transcendental Qualities of Vrtrasura
SB6.11Summary
This chapter describes Vrtrasura’s great qualities. When the prominent commanders of the demons fled, not hearing Vrtrasura’s advice. Vrtrasura condemned them all as cowards. Speaking very bravely, he stood alone to face the demigods. When the demigods saw Vrtrasura’s attitude, they were so afraid that they practically fainted, and Vrtrasura began trampling them down. Unable to tolerate this, Indra, the King of the demigods, threw his club at Vrtrasura, but Vrtrasura was such a great hero that he easily caught the club with his left hand and used it to beat Indra’s elephant. Struck by the blow of Vrtrasura, the elephant was pushed back fourteen yards and fell, with Indra on its back.
King Indra had first accepted Visvarupa as his priest and thereafter killed him. Reminding Indra of his heinous activities, Vrtrasura said, “If one is a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Visnu, and depends on Lord Visnu in every respect, then victory, opulence and peace of mind are all inevitably available. Such a person has nothing for which to aspire in the three worlds. The Supreme Lord is so kind that He especially favors such a devotee by not giving him opulence that will hamper his devotional service. Therefore I wish to give up everything for the service of the Lord. I wish always to chant the glories of the Lord and engage in His service. Let me become unattached to my worldly family and make friendships with the devotees of the Lord. I do not desire to be promoted to the higher planetary systems, even to Dhruvaloka or Brahmaloka, nor do I desire an unconquerable position within this material world. I have no need for such things.” SB6.11.1 TEXT 1 sri-suka uvaca ta evam samsato dharmam vacah patyur acetasah naivagrhnanta sambhrantah palayana-para nrpa SYNONYMS sri-sukah uvaca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; te—they; evam—thus; samsatah—praising; dharmam—the principles of religion; vacah—the words; patyuh—of their master; acetasah—their minds being very disturbed; na—not; eva—indeed; agrhnanta—accepted; sambhrantah—fearful; palayana-parah—intent upon fleeing; nrpa—O King. TRANSLATION Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: O King, Vrtrasura, the commander in chief of the demons, advised his lieutenants in the principles of religion, but the cowardly demoniac commanders, intent upon fleeing the battlefield, were so disturbed by fear that they could not accept his words. SB6.11.2-3 TEXTS 2–3 visiryamanam prtanam asurim asurarsabhah kalanukulais tridasaih kalyamanam anathavat drstvatapyata sankruddha indra-satrur amarsitah tan nivaryaujasa rajan nirbhartsyedam uvaca ha SYNONYMS visiryamanam—being shattered; prtanam—the army; asurim—of the demons; asura-rsabhah—the best of the asuras, Vrtrasura; kala-anukulaih—following the circumstances presented by time; tridasaih—by the demigods; kalyamanam—being chased; anatha-vat—as if no one were there to protect them; drstva—seeing; atapyata—felt pain; sankruddhah—being very angry; indra-satruh—Vrtrasura, the enemy of Indra; amarsitah—unable to tolerate; tan—them (the demigods); nivarya—blocking; ojasa—with great force; rajan—O King Pariksit; nirbhartsya—rebuking; idam—this; uvaca—said; ha—indeed. TRANSLATION O King Pariksit, the demigods, taking advantage of a favorable opportunity presented by time, attacked the army of the demons from the rear and began driving away the demoniac soldiers, scattering them here and there as if their army had no leader. Seeing the pitiable condition of his soldiers, Vrtrasura, the best of the asuras, who was called Indrasatru, the enemy of Indra, was very much aggrieved. Unable to tolerate such reverses, he stopped and forcefully rebuked the demigods, speaking the following words in an angry mood. SB6.11.4 TEXT 4 kim va uccaritair matur dhavadbhih prsthato hataih na hi bhita-vadhah slaghyo na svargyah sura-maninam SYNONYMS kim—what is the benefit; vah—for you; uccaritaih—with those like the stool; matuh—of the mother; dhavadbhih—running away; prsthatah—from the back; hataih—killed; na—not; hi—certainly; bhita-vadhah—the killing of a person who is afraid; slaghyah—glorious; na—nor; svargyah—leading to the heavenly planets; sura-maninam—of persons who consider themselves heroes. TRANSLATION O demigods, these demoniac soldiers have taken birth uselessly. Indeed, they have come from the bodies of their mothers exactly like stool. What is the benefit of killing such enemies from behind while they are running in fear? One who considers himself a hero should not kill an enemy who is afraid of losing his life. Such killing is never glorious, nor can it promote one to the heavenly planets. PURPORT Vrtrasura rebuked both the demigods and the demoniac soldiers because the demons were running in fear of their lives and the demigods were killing them from behind. The actions of both were abominable. When a fight takes place, the opposing parties must be prepared to fight like heroes. A hero never runs from the field of battle. He always fights face to face, determined to gain victory or lay down his life in the fight. That is heroic. Killing an enemy from behind is also inglorious. When an enemy turns his back and runs in fear of his life, he should not be killed. This is the etiquette of military science. Vrtrasura insulted the demoniac soldiers by comparing them to the stool of their mothers. Both stool and a cowardly son come from the abdomen of the mother, and Vrtrasura said that there is no difference between them. A similar comparison was given by Tulasi dasa, who commented that a son and urine both come from the same channel. In other words, semen and urine both come from the genitals, but semen produces a child whereas urine produces nothing. Therefore if a child is neither a hero nor a devotee, he is not a son but urine. Similarly, Canakya Pandita also says: ko ’rthah putrena jatena “What is the use of a son who is neither glorious nor devoted to the Lord? Such a son is like a blind eye, which simply gives pain but cannot help one see.” SB6.11.5 TEXT 5 yadi vah pradhane sraddha saram va ksullaka hrdi agre tisthata matram me na ced gramya-sukhe sprha SYNONYMS yadi—if; vah—of you; pradhane—in battle; sraddha—faith; saram—patience; va—or; ksullakah—O insignificant ones; hrdi—in the core of the heart; agre—in front; tisthata—just stand; matram—for a moment; me—of me; na—not; cet—if; gramya-sukhe—in sense gratification; sprha—desire. TRANSLATION O insignificant demigods, if you truly have faith in your heroism, if you have patience in the cores of your hearts and if you are not ambitious for sense gratification, please stand before me for a moment. PURPORT Rebuking the demigods, Vrtrasura challenged, “O demigods, if you are actually heroes, stand before me now and try to show your prowess. If you do not wish to fight, if you are afraid of losing your lives, I shall not kill you, for unlike you, I am not so evil minded as to kill persons who are neither heroic nor willing to fight. If you have faith in your heroism, please stand before me.” SB6.11.6 TEXT 6 evam sura-ganan kruddho bhisayan vapusa ripun vyanadat sumaha-prano yena loka vicetasah SYNONYMS evam—thus; sura-ganan—the demigods; kruddhah—being very angry; bhisayan—terrifying; vapusa—by his body; ripun—his enemies; vyanadat—roared; su-maha-pranah—the most powerful Vrtrasura; yena—by which; lokah—all people; vicetasah—unconscious. TRANSLATION Sukadeva Gosvami said: Vrtrasura, the angry and most powerful hero, terrified the demigods with his stout and strongly built body. When he roared with a resounding voice, nearly all living entities fainted. SB6.11.7 TEXT 7 tena deva-ganah sarve vrtra-visphotanena vai nipetur murcchita bhumau yathaivasanina hatah SYNONYMS tena—by that; deva-ganah—the demigods; sarve—all; vrtra-visphotanena—the tumultuous sound of Vrtrasura; vai—indeed; nipetuh—fell; murcchitah—fainted; bhumau—on the ground; yatha—just as if; eva—indeed; asanina—by a thunderbolt; hatah—struck. TRANSLATION When all the demigods heard Vrtrasura’s tumultuous roar, which resembled that of a lion, they fainted and fell to the ground as if struck by thunderbolts. SB6.11.8 TEXT 8 mamarda padbhyam sura-sainyam aturam nimilitaksam rana-ranga-durmadah gam kampayann udyata-sula ojasa nalam vanam yutha-patir yathonmadah SYNONYMS mamarda—trampled; padbhyam—by his feet; sura-sainyam—the army of the demigods; aturam—who were very afraid; nimilita-aksam—closing their eyes; rana-ranga-durmadah—arrogant on the battlefield; gam—the surface of the globe; kampayan—causing to tremble; udyata-sulah—taking up his trident; ojasa—with his strength; nalam—of hollow bamboo sticks; vanam—a forest; yutha-patih—an elephant; yatha—just as; unmadah—maddened. TRANSLATION As the demigods closed their eyes in fear, Vrtrasura, taking up his trident and making the earth tremble with his great strength, trampled the demigods beneath his feet on the battlefield the way a mad elephant tramples hollow bamboos in the forest. SB6.11.9 TEXT 9 vilokya tam vajra-dharo ’tyamarsitah sva-satrave ’bhidravate maha-gadam ciksepa tam apatatim suduhsaham jagraha vamena karena lilaya SYNONYMS vilokya—seeing; tam—him (Vrtrasura); vajra-dharah—the carrier of the thunderbolt (King Indra); ati—very much; amarsitah—intolerant; sva—his own; satrave—toward the enemy; abhidravate—running; maha-gadam—a very powerful club; ciksepa—threw; tam—that (club); apatatim—flying toward him; su-duhsaham—very difficult to counteract; jagraha—caught; vamena—with his left; karena—hand; lilaya—very easily. TRANSLATION Seeing Vrtrasura’s disposition, Indra, the King of heaven, became intolerant and threw at him one of his great clubs, which are extremely difficult to counteract. However, as the club flew toward him, Vrtrasura easily caught it with his left hand. SB6.11.10 TEXT 10 sa indra-satruh kupito bhrsam taya mahendra-vaham gadayoru-vikramah jaghana kumbha-sthala unnadan mrdhe tat karma sarve samapujayan nrpa SYNONYMS sah—that; indra-satruh—Vrtrasura; kupitah—being angry; bhrsam—very much; taya—with that; mahendra-vaham—the elephant who is the carrier of Indra; gadaya—by the club; uru-vikramah—who is famous for his great strength; jaghana—struck; kumbha-sthale—on the head; unnadan—roaring loudly; mrdhe—in that fight; tat karma—that action (striking the head of Indra’s elephant with the club in his left hand); sarve—all the soldiers (on both sides); samapujayan—glorified; nrpa—O King Pariksit. TRANSLATION O King Pariksit, the powerful Vrtrasura, the enemy of King Indra, angrily struck the head of Indra’s elephant with that club, making a tumultuous sound on the battlefield. For this heroic deed, the soldiers on both sides glorified him. SB6.11.11 TEXT 11 airavato vrtra-gadabhimrsto vighurnito ’drih kulisahato yatha apasarad bhinna-mukhah sahendro muncann asrk sapta-dhanur bhrsartah SYNONYMS airavatah—Airavata, the elephant of King Indra; vrtra-gada-abhimrstah—struck by the club in Vrtrasura’s hand; vighurnitah—shaken; adrih—a mountain; kulisa—by a thunderbolt; ahatah—struck; yatha—just like; apasarat—was pushed back; bhinna-mukhah—having a broken mouth; saha-indrah—with King Indra; muncan—spitting; asrk—blood; sapta-dhanuh—a distance measured by seven bows (approximately fourteen yards); bhrsa—very severely; artah—aggrieved. TRANSLATION Struck with the club by Vrtrasura like a mountain struck by a thunderbolt, the elephant Airavata, feeling great pain and spitting blood from its broken mouth, was pushed back fourteen yards. In great distress, the elephant fell, with Indra on its back. SB6.11.12 TEXT 12 na sanna-vahaya visanna-cetase prayunkta bhuyah sa gadam mahatma indro ’mrta-syandi-karabhimarsa- vita-vyatha-ksata-vaho ’vatasthe SYNONYMS na—not; sanna—fatigued; vahaya—upon him whose carrier; visanna-cetase—morose in the core of his heart; prayunkta—used; bhuyah—again; sah—he (Vrtrasura); gadam—the club; maha-atma—the great soul (who refrained from striking Indra with the club when he saw Indra morose and aggrieved); indrah—Indra; amrta-syandi-kara—of his hand, which produces nectar; abhimarsa—by the touch; vita—was relieved; vyatha—from pains; ksata—and cuts; vahah—whose carrier elephant; avatasthe—stood there. TRANSLATION When he saw Indra’s carrier elephant thus fatigued and injured and when he saw Indra morose because his carrier had been harmed in that way, the great soul Vrtrasura, following religious principles, refrained from again striking Indra with the club. Taking this opportunity, Indra touched the elephant with his nectar-producing hand, thus relieving the animal’s pain and curing its injuries. Then the elephant and Indra both stood silently. SB6.11.13 TEXT 13 sa tam nrpendrahava-kamyaya ripum vajrayudham bhratr-hanam vilokya smarams ca tat-karma nr-samsam amhah sokena mohena hasan jagada SYNONYMS sah—he (Vrtrasura); tam—him (the King of heaven, Indra); nrpa-indra—O King Pariksit; ahava-kamyaya—with a desire to fight; ripum—his enemy; vajra-ayudham—whose weapon was the thunderbolt (made from the bones of Dadhici); bhratr-hanam—who was the killer of his brother; vilokya—seeing; smaran—remembering; ca—and; tat-karma—his activities; nr-samsam—cruel; amhah—a great sin; sokena—with lamentation; mohena—by bewilderment; hasan—laughing; jagada—said. TRANSLATION O King, when the great hero Vrtrasura saw Indra, his enemy, the killer of his brother, standing before him with a thunderbolt in his hand, desiring to fight, Vrtrasura remembered how Indra had cruelly killed his brother. Thinking of Indra’s sinful activities, he became mad with lamentation and forgetfulness. Laughing sarcastically, he spoke as follows. SB6.11.14 TEXT 14 sri-vrtra uvaca distya bhavan me samavasthito ripur yo brahma-ha guru-ha bhratr-ha ca distyanrno ’dyaham asattama tvaya mac-chula-nirbhinna-drsad-dhrdacirat SYNONYMS sri-vrtrah uvaca—the great hero Vrtrasura said; distya—by good fortune; bhavan—Your Lordship; me—of me; samavasthitah—situated (in front); ripuh—my enemy; yah—who; brahma-ha—the killer of a brahmana; guru-ha—the killer of your guru; bhratr-ha—the killer of my brother; ca—also; distya—by good fortune; anrnah—free from debt (to my brother); adya—today; aham—I; asat-tama—O most abominable one; tvaya—through you; mat-sula—by my trident; nirbhinna—being pierced; drsat—like stone; hrda—whose heart; acirat—very soon. TRANSLATION Sri Vrtrasura said: He who has killed a brahmana, he who has killed his spiritual master—indeed, he who has killed my brother—is now, by good fortune, standing before me face to face as my enemy. O most abominable one, when I pierce your stonelike heart with my trident, I shall be freed from my debt to my brother. SB6.11.15 TEXT 15 yo no ’grajasyatma-vido dvijater guror apapasya ca diksitasya visrabhya khadgena siramsy avrscat pasor ivakarunah svarga-kamah SYNONYMS yah—he who; nah—our; agra-jasya—of the elder brother; atma-vidah—who was fully self-realized; dvi-jateh—a qualified brahmana; guroh—your spiritual master; apapasya—free from all sinful activities; ca—also; diksitasya—appointed as the initiator of your yajna; visrabhya—trustfully; khadgena—by your sword; siramsi—the heads; avrscat—cut off; pasoh—of an animal; iva—like; akarunah—merciless; svarga-kamah—desiring the heavenly planets. TRANSLATION Only for the sake of living in the heavenly planets, you killed my elder brother—a self-realized, sinless, qualified brahmana who had been appointed your chief priest. He was your spiritual master, but although you entrusted him with the performance of your sacrifice, you later mercilessly severed his heads from his body the way one butchers an animal. SB6.11.16 TEXT 16 sri-hri-daya-kirtibhir ujjhitam tvam sva-karmana purusadais ca garhyam krcchrena mac-chula-vibhinna-deham asprsta-vahnim samadanti grdhrah SYNONYMS sri—opulence or beauty; hri—shame; daya—mercy; kirtibhih—and glory; ujjhitam—bereft of; tvam—you; sva-karmana—by your own activities; purusa-adaih—by the Raksasas (man-eaters); ca—and; garhyam—condemnable; krcchrena—with great difficulty; mat-sula—by my trident; vibhinna—pierced; deham—your body; asprsta-vahnim—not even touched by fire; samadanti—will eat; grdhrah—the vultures. TRANSLATION Indra, you are bereft of all shame, mercy, glory and good fortune. Deprived of these good qualities by the reactions of your fruitive activities, you are to be condemned even by the man-eaters [Raksasas]. Now I shall pierce your body with my trident, and after you die with great pain, even fire will not touch you; only the vultures will eat your body. SB6.11.17 TEXT 17 anye ’nu ye tveha nr-samsam ajna yad udyatastrah praharanti mahyam tair bhuta-nathan saganan nisata- trisula-nirbhinna-galair yajami SYNONYMS anye—others; anu—follow; ye—who; tva—you; iha—in this connection; nr-samsam—very cruel; ajnah—persons unaware of my prowess; yat—if; udyata-astrah—with their swords raised; praharanti—attack; mahyam—me; taih—with those; bhuta-nathan—to such leaders of the ghosts as Bhairava; sa-ganan—with their hordes; nisata—sharpened; tri-sula—by the trident; nirbhinna—separated or pierced; galaih—having their necks; yajami—I shall offer sacrifices. TRANSLATION You are naturally cruel. If the other demigods, unaware of my prowess, follow you by attacking me with raised weapons, I shall sever their heads with this sharp trident. With those heads I shall perform a sacrifice to Bhairava and the other leaders of the ghosts, along with their hordes. SB6.11.18 TEXT 18 atho hare me kulisena vira harta pramathyaiva siro yadiha tatranrno bhuta-balim vidhaya manasvinam pada-rajah prapatsye SYNONYMS atho—otherwise; hare—O King Indra; me—of me; kulisena—by your thunderbolt; vira—O great hero; harta—you cut off; pramathya—destroying my army; eva—certainly; sirah—head; yadi—if; iha—in this battle; tatra—in that case; anrnah—relieved of all debts in this material world; bhuta-balim—a presentation for all living entities; vidhaya—arranging; manasvinam—of great sages like Narada Muni; pada-rajah—the dust of the lotus feet; prapatsye—I shall achieve. TRANSLATION But if in this battle you cut off my head with your thunderbolt and kill my soldiers, O Indra, O great hero, I shall take great pleasure in offering my body to other living entities [such as jackals and vultures]. I shall thus be relieved of my obligations to the reactions of my karma, and my fortune will be to receive the dust from the lotus feet of great devotees like Narada Muni. PURPORT Sri Narottama dasa Thakura sings: ei chaya gosani yara, mui tara dasa “I am the servant of the six Gosvamis, and the dust of their lotus feet provides my five kinds of food.” A Vaisnava always desires the dust of the lotus feet of previous acaryas and Vaisnavas. Vrtrasura was certain that he would be killed in the battle with Indra, because this was the desire of Lord Visnu. He was prepared for death because he knew that after his death he was destined to return home, back to Godhead. This is a great destination, and it is achieved by the grace of a Vaisnava. Chadiya vaisnava-seva nistara payeche keba: no one has ever gone back to Godhead without being favored by a Vaisnava. In this verse, therefore, we find the words manasvinam pada-rajah prapatsye: “I shall receive the dust of the lotus feet of great devotees.” The word manasvinam refers to great devotees who always think of Krsna. They are always peaceful, thinking of Krsna, and therefore they are called dhira. The best example of such a devotee is Narada Muni. If one receives the dust of the lotus feet of a manasvi, a great devotee, he certainly returns home, back to Godhead. SB6.11.19 TEXT 19 suresa kasman na hinosi vajram purah sthite vairini mayy amogham ma samsayistha na gadeva vajrah syan nisphalah krpanartheva yacna SYNONYMS sura-isa—O King of the demigods; kasmat—why; na—not; hinosi—you hurl; vajram—the thunderbolt; purah sthite—standing in front; vairini—your enemy; mayi—at me; amogham—which is infallible (your thunderbolt); ma—do not; samsayisthah—doubt; na—not; gada iva—like the club; vajrah—the thunderbolt; syat—may be; nisphalah—with no result; krpana—from a miserly person; artha—for money; iva—like; yacna—a request. TRANSLATION O King of the demigods, since I, your enemy, am standing before you, why don’t you hurl your thunderbolt at me? Although your attack upon me with your club was certainly useless, like a request of money from a miser, the thunderbolt you carry will not be useless. You need have no doubts about this. PURPORT When King Indra threw his club at Vrtrasura, Vrtrasura caught it in his left hand and retaliated by using it to strike the head of Indra’s elephant. Thus Indra’s attack was a disastrous failure. Indeed, Indra’s elephant was injured and thrown back fourteen yards. Therefore even though Indra stood with the thunderbolt to hurl against Vrtrasura, he was doubtful, thinking that the thunderbolt might also fail. Vrtrasura, however, being a Vaisnava, assured Indra that the thunderbolt would not fail, for Vrtrasura knew that it had been prepared in accordance with the instructions of Lord Visnu. Although Indra had doubts because he could not understand that Lord Visnu’s order never fails, Vrtrasura understood Lord Visnu’s purpose. Vrtrasura was eager to be killed by the thunderbolt manufactured according to Lord Visnu’s instructions because he was sure that he would thus return home, back to Godhead. He was simply waiting for the opportunity of the thunderbolt’s being released. In effect, therefore, Vrtrasura told Indra, “If you want to kill me, since I am your enemy, take this opportunity. Kill me. You will gain victory, and I shall go back to Godhead. Your deed will be equally beneficial for both of us. Do it immediately.”
yo na vidvan na dharmikah
kanena caksusa kim va
caksuh pidaiva kevalam
tan’ sabara pada-renu mora panca-grasa