Vrtrasura, Çrémad-Bhägavatam and Devé-Bhägavatam

Çré Saphalä Ekädaçé Issue no:102 1st January 2019 VRTRASURA, ÇRÉMAD-BHÄGAVATAM AND DEVÉ-BHÄGAVATAM VRTRASURAS GLORIOUS DEATH VRTRASURA, ÇRÉMAD-BHÄGAVATAM Srila Sukadeva Goswami AND DEVÉ-BHÄGAVATAM Srila Jiva Goswami HOW CAN ONE BECOME A PERFECT PERSON? WHAT IS THE FINAL DESTINATION OF His Divine Grace THOSE WHO WORSHIP SRI GAURANGA? A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Circulaton 28, 630 Issue no 102, Page — 2 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä VRTRASURAS GLORIOUS DEATH due to his blazing rage, As it flew in the sky, Srila Sukadeva Goswami Vrtrasura’s trident resembled a brilliant meteor. Although the blazing weapon was Sukadeva Goswami said: Due to difficult to even look upon, King Indra, his desire to give up his body, Vrtrasura was undaunted and , cut it to pieces with considered death in the battle preferable his thunderbolt. Simultaneously, he cut to victory over his enemy. O King Pariksit, off one of Vrtrasura’s arms, which was as just as Kaitabha had forcefully attacked the thick as the body of Vasuki, the King of Supreme Personality of Godhead when the serpents. Although one of his arms the universe was inundated, with great was severed from his body, Vrtrasura force Vrtrasura attacked Lord Indra, the angrily approached King Indra and struck King of heaven. Vrtrasura, the prominent him on the jaw with an iron mace. He also hero of the demons, whirled his trident, struck the elephant that carried Indra. As which had points like the flames of the a result of this attack Indra dropped the blazing fire at the end of the millennium. thunderbolt from his hand. Roaring and exclaiming loudly, “O sinful The denizens of various planets, like one, thus shall I kill you!”, he hurled that the demigods, demons, Caranas and weapon at Indra with formidable power Siddhas, praised Vrtrasura’s deed, but Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya www.ibmedu.org nityaà bhägavata-sevayä Issue no 102, Page—3 when they observed that Indra was in always dependent, he falsely thinks himself great danger, they lamented, “Alas! Alas!” the Supreme. If one thinks, “According Having dropped the thunderbolt from his to one’s previous fruitive actions, one’s hand in the presence of his enemy, Indra material body is created by the father and was practically defeated and felt greatly mother, and the same body is annihilated ashamed. He did not darerecover his by another agent, as another animal is weapon. Vrtrasura, however, encouraged devoured by a tiger,” this is not a correct him, saying, “Take up your thunderbolt understanding. The Supreme Personality and kill your enemy. This is not the time to of Godhead Himself creates and devours lament your fate.” the living beings through other living Vrtrasura continued: O Indra, no one beings. Just as a person not inclined to die but the original enjoyer, the Supreme must nonetheless give up his longevity, Personality of Godhead, Bhagavan is opulence, fame and everything else at guaranteed of being always victorious. He the time of death, so, at the appointed alone is the cause of creation, maintenance time of victory, one can gain all these and annihilation, and He knows everything. when the Supreme Lord awards them by Being dependent and being obliged to His mercy. Since everything is dependent accept material bodies, His belligerent on the supreme will of the Personality of subordinates- we ordinary living entities- Godhead, one should be equipoised in are sometimes victorious and sometimes dualities like fame and infamy, victory and defeated. All living beings in all the planets defeat, life and death. When experiencing of this universe, including the presiding the effects of these dualities represented deities of the planets themselves, are fully as happiness and distress, one should under the control of the Lord. They act like maintain oneself in equilibrium, without birds caught in a net, who cannot move anxiety. independently. Our sensory prowess, mental power, bodily strength, living force, One who knows that the three qualitative immortality and mortality are all subject modes of goodness, passion and ignorance to the superintendence of the Supreme are not qualities of the soul but rather Personality of Godhead. Not knowing this, the qualities of material nature, and who foolish people think their dull material knows that the pure soul is simply an body to be the cause of their activities. observer of the actions and reactions of O King Indra, as a wooden doll that these qualities, should be understood to looks like a woman or as an animal made be a liberated person. He is not bound by of grass and leaves cannot move or dance these material qualities. O my enemy, just independently, but depend fully on the look at me. I have already been defeated, person who handles it, all of us dance for my weapon and arm have been cut to according to the desire of the supreme pieces. You have already overwhelmed controller, the Personality of Godhead. me, but nonetheless, with a desire to No one is independent. The three puruñas defeat and kill you, I am still trying my Karanodaksayi-Visnu, Garbhodakasayi best to fight. I am not at all morose, even Visnu and Ksirodakasayi-Visnu the material under such adverse conditions. Therefore nature, the total material energy, the false you should give up your moroseness and ego, the five material elements, the material continue fighting. senses, the mind, the intelligence and O my enemy, consider this battle a consciousness cannot create the material gambling match in which our lives are the manifestation without the direction of the stakes, the arrows are the dice, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A foolish, animals acting as carriers are the game senseless person cannot understand the board. No one can understand who will be Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although defeated and who will be victorious. It all www.ibmedu.org Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya Issue no 102, Page — 4 Top left 4 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä depends on all-powerful providence. pieces by Indra. Being very powerful in Sukadeva Goswami said: Hearing physical strength and influence Vrtrasura the straightforward, instructive words then placed his lower part of jaw on the of Vrtrasura, King Indra praised him and ground and his upper jaw in the air. His again took up the thunderbolt. Without expanded mouth became very deep, like bewilderment or duplicity, he then smiled the sky itself, and his tongue appeared and spoke to Vrtrasura as follows. like a large serpent. With fearful, deadly Indra said: O great demon, I can teeth, he seemed to be trying to devour the understand by your discrimination and entire universe. Thus assuming a gigantic endurance in devotional service, in spite body, the great demon Vrtrasura shook your being in a dangerous position, that even the mountains and began crushing you are certainly a perfect devotee of the surface of the earth under his feet, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, if he were the Himalayas walking about. the Supersoul and friend of everyone. He came before Indra and swallowed him You have surmounted the powerful and Airavata, his elephantine carrier, just illusory energy of Lord Visnu, and as a monstrous python might swallow an because of achieving this liberation, you elephant. When the demigods, along with have given up the demoniac mentality Brahma, his prajäpatis and other great and have attained the position of an saintly persons, saw that Indra had been exalted devotee. O Vrtrasura, demons swallowed by the demon, they became are generally conducted by the mode of morose. “Alas,” they lamented. “What a passion. Therefore, it is simply wondrous calamity! What a calamity!” that although you are a demon, you have The protective armor of Narayana which adopted the pure mentality of a devotee Indra now wore, was identical with, and have fixed your mind on the Supreme the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva, who Narayana Himself. Protected by that armor is always situated in pure goodness. A and by his own mystic power, King Indra, person firmly established in the devotional although swallowed by Vrtrasura, did not service of the Supreme Lord, Hari, the perish within the demon’s belly. Using Lord of the highest auspiciousness, swims his thunderbolt, King Indra, who was in an ocean of nectar. For him what is also extremely powerful, pierced through the use of the scant water found in small Vrtrasura’s abdomen and emerged. ditches? Indra, the killer of the demon Bala, then Sri Sukadeva Goswami said: Vrtrasura immediately began to cut off Vrtrasura’s and King Indra spoke about devotional head, which was as high as the peak of service even on the battlefield, and then a mountain. Although the thunderbolt as a matter of duty they again began revolved around Vrtrasura’s neck with fighting. My dear King, both of them were great speed, separating his head from his great fighters and were equally powerful. body took one complete year (360 days), O Maharaja Pariksit, Vrtrasura, who was the time in which the sun, moon and competant to subdue his enemies, took other luminaries complete a northern and his iron club, whirled it , aimed it at southern journey. Then, at the suitable Indra and then hurled it at him with his time for Vrtrasura to die, his head fell to left hand. With his thunderbolt named the ground. When Vrtrasura was killed, the Shataparvan, Indra simultaneously Gandharvas and Siddhas in the heavenly cut to pieces Vrtrasura’s club and his planets played kettledrums in jubilation. remaining arm. Vrtrasura, now bleeding They celebrated the prowess of Indra, profusely, his two arms cut off at their the killer of Vrtrasura, with Vedic hymns roots, looked very beautiful, like a flying praising him and showering flowers upon mountain whose wings have been cut to his head with great pleasure.

Load more