The Mahabharata, of, Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, BOOK 3, (Tirtha-yatra Parva), SECTION CI

"Lomasa said, 'Armed with the Vajra then, and supported by celestials

endued with great might, Indra then approached Vritra, who was then

occupying the entire earth and the heaven. And he was guarded on all

sides by huge-bodied Kalakeyas with upraised weapons resembling gigantic

mountains with towering peaks. And the encounter that took place between

the gods and the Danavas lasted for a short while and was, O chief of the

Bharatas, terrific in the extreme, appalling as it did the three worlds.

And loud was the clash of swords and scimitars upraised and warded off by

heroic hands in course of those fierce encounters. And heads (severed

from trunks) began to roll from the firmament to the earth like fruits of

the palmyra palm falling upon the ground, loosened from their stalks. And

the Kalakeyas armed with iron-mounted bludgeons and cased in golden mail

ran against the gods, like moving mountains on conflagration. And the

gods, unable to stand the shock of that impetuous and proudly advancing

host, broke and fled from fear. Purandara of a thousand eyes, beholding

the gods flying in fear and Vritra growing in boldness, became deeply

dejected. And the foremost of gods Purandara, himself, agitated with the

fear of the Kalakeyas, without losing a moment, sought the exalted

Narayana's refuge. And the eternal Vishnu beholding Indra so depressed

enhanced his might by imparting unto him a portion of his own energy. And

when the celestials beheld that Sakra was thus protected by Vishnu, each

of them imparted unto him his own energy. And the spotless Brahmarshis

also imparted their energies unto the chief of the celestials. And

favoured thus by Vishnu and all the gods and by the high-blessed Rishis

also, Sakra became mightier than before. And when Vritra learnt that the

chief of the celestials had been filled with might of others, he sent

forth some terrific roars. And at these roars of his, the earth, the

directions, the firmament, heaven, and the mountains all began to

tremble. And the chief of the celestials, deeply agitated on hearing that

fierce and loud roar, was filled with fear, and desiring to slay the

Asura soon, hurled, O king, the mighty Vajra. And struck with Indra's

Vajra the great Asura decked in gold and garlands fell head-long, like

the great mountain Mandara hurled of yore from Vishnu's hands; and

although the prince of Daityas was slain, yet Sakra in panic ran from the

field, desiring to take shelter in a lake, thinking that the Vajra itself

had not been hurled from his hands and regarding that Vritra himself was

still alive. The celestials, however, and the great Rishis became filled

with joy, and all of them began to cheerfully chant the praise of Indra.

And mustering together, the celestials began to slay the Danavas, who

were dejected at the death of their leader. And struck with panic at

sight of the assembled celestial host, the afflicted Danavas fled to the

depths of the sea. And having entered the fathomless deep, teeming with

fishes and crocodiles, the Danavas assembled together and began to

proudly conspire for the destruction of the three worlds. And some

amongst them that were wise in inferences suggested courses of action,

each according to his judgment. In course of time, however, the dreadful

resolution arrived at those conspiring sons of Diti, was that they

should, first of all, compass the destruction of all persons possessed of

knowledge and ascetic virtue. The worlds are all supported by asceticism.

Therefore, they said, 'Lose no time for the destruction of asceticism.

Compass ye without delay the destruction of those on earth that are

possessed of ascetic virtues, that are conversant with duties and the

ways of morality, and that have a knowledge of Brahma; for when these are

destroyed, the universe itself will be destroyed.' And all the Danavas,

having arrived at this resolution for the destruction of the universe,

became highly glad. And thenceforth they made the ocean--that abode of

Varuna--with billows high as hills, their fort, from which to make their

sallies."

SECTION CII

"Lomasa said, 'The Kalakeyas then having recourse to that receptacle of

waters, which is the abode of Varuna, began their operations for the

destruction of the universe. And during the darkness of the night those

angry Daityas began to devour the Munis they found in woody retreats and

sacred spots. And those wicked wretches devoured in the asylum of

Vasishtha, Brahmanas to the number of a hundred and eighty, besides nine

other ascetics. And, proceeding to the asylum of Chyavana that was

inhabited by many Brahmacharis, they devoured a century of Brahmanas that

lived upon fruit and roots alone. And they began to do all this during

the darkness of the night, while they entered the depths of the sea by

day. And they slew a full score of Brahmanas of subdued souls and leading

a Brahmacharya mode of life and living upon air and water alone, in the

retreat of Bharadwaja. And it was thus that those Danavas the Kalakeyas,

intoxicated with prowess of arms and their lives nearly run out,

gradually invaded all the asylums of the Rishis during the darkness of

the night, slaughtering numerous Brahmanas. And, O best of men, although

the Danavas behaved in this way towards the ascetics in woody retreats,

yet men failed to discover anything of them. And every morning people saw

the dead bodies of Munis emaciated with frugal diet, lying on the ground.

And many of those bodies were without flesh and without blood, without

marrow, without entrails, and with limbs separated from one another. And

here and there lay on the ground heaps of bones like masses of conch

shells. And the earth was scattered over with the (sacrificial) contents

of broken jars and shattered ladles for pouring libations of clarified

butter and with the sacred fires kept with care by the ascetics. And the

universe afflicted with the terror of the Kalakeyas, being destitute of

Vedic studies and vashats and sacrificial festivals and religious rites,

became entirely cheerless. And, O king, when men began to perish in this

way, the survivors, afflicted with fear, fled for their lives in all

directions. And some fled to caverns and some behind mountain-streams and

springs and some through fear of death, died without much ado. And some

who were brave and mighty bowmen cheerfully went out and took great

trouble in tracking the Danavas. Unable, however, to find them out, for

the Asuras had sought refuge in the depths of the sea, these brave men

came back to their homes gratified with the search. And, O lord of men,

when the universe was being thus destroyed, and when sacrificial

festivals and religious rites had been suspended, the gods became deeply

afflicted. And gathering together with Indra in their midst they began,

from fear, to take counsel of one another. And repairing unto the exalted

and uncreate Narayana--that unvanquished god of Vaikuntha--the celestials

sought his protection. And bowing unto the slayer of Madhu, the gods

addressed him, saying, 'O lord, thou art the creator, the protector, and

the slayer of ourselves as well as of the universe. It is thou who has

created this universe with its mobile and immobile creatures. O thou of

eyes like lotus leaves, it was thou who in days of yore hadst for the

benefit of all creatures raised from the sea the sunken earth, assuming

also the form of a boar. And, O best of male beings, assuming also the

form of half-man and half-lion, thou hadst slain in days of yore that

ancient Daitya of mighty prowess known by the name of Hiranyakasipu. And

that other great Asura also, Vali by name, was incapable of being slain

by any one. Assuming the form of a dwarf, thou exiledest him from the

three worlds. O lord, it was by thee that that wicked Asura, Jambha by

name, who was a mighty bowman and who always obstructed sacrifices, was

slain. Achievements like these, which cannot be counted, are thine. O

slayer of Madhu, we who have been afflicted with fear, have thee for our

refuge. It is for this, O god of gods, that we inform thee of our present

troubles. Protect the worlds, the gods, and Sakra also, from a terrible

fear.'"

SECTION CIII

"The celestials said, 'Through thy favour it is that all born beings of

the four kinds increase. And they being created, propitiate the dwellers

of heaven by offerings made to the gods and the names of departed

forefathers. Thus it is that people, protected by thee and free from

trouble live depending on one another, and (so) increase. Now this peril

hath befallen the people. We do not know by whom are Brahmanas being

killed during the night. If the Brahmanas are destroyed, the earth itself

will meet with destruction, and if the earth cometh to an end, heaven

also will cease to exist. O mighty-armed one, O lord of the universe! we

beseech thee (to act so) that all the worlds, protected by thee, may not

come to an end, so it may please thee.'

"Vishnu said, 'Ye gods! To me is known the reason of the destruction of

the born beings, I shall speak of it to you; listen with minds free from

tribulation. There exists an exceedingly fierce host, known by the name

of Kalakeyas. They, under the lead of Vritra, were devastating the whole

universe. And when they saw that Vritra was slain by the sagacious Indra

endued with a thousand eyes, they, to preserve their lives, entered into

the ocean, that abode of Varuna. And having entered the ocean, abounding

with sharks and crocodiles, they at night killed the saints at this spot

with the view of exterminating the people. But they cannot be slain, as

they have taken shelter within the sea. Ye should, therefore, think of

some expedient to dry up the ocean. Who save Agastya is capable of drying

up the sea. And without drying up the ocean, these (demons) cannot be

assailed by any other means.' Hearing these words of Vishnu, the gods

took the permission of Brahma, who lives at the best of all regions, and

went to the hermitage of Agastya. Then they beheld the high-souled

Agastya, the son of Varuna, of resplendent mien, and waited upon by

saints, even as Brahma is waited upon by celestials. And approaching him,

they addressed the son of Mitra and Varuna at the hermitage, magnanimous

and unswerving, and looking like an embodiment of pious works piled

together, and glorified him by reciting his deeds. The deities said,

'Thou wert formerly the refuge of the gods when they were oppressed by

Nahusha. Thorn of the world that he was, he was thrown down from his

throne of heaven--from the celestial regions. Vindhya, the foremost of

all mountains, suddenly began to increase his height, from a wrathful

competition with the sun (i. e., to rival him in altitude). But he hath

ceased to increase, as he was unable to disobey thy command. And when

darkness hath covered the world, the born beings were harassed by death,

but having obtained thee for a protector, they attained the utmost

security. Whenever we are beset by perils, thy reverence is always our

refuge; for this reason it is that we solicit a boon from thee; as thou

ever grantest the boon solicited (of thee).'"

SECTION CIV

"Yudhishthira said, 'O great saint! I am desirous of hearing in detail

why it was that Vindhya, made senseless with wrath, suddenly began to

increase his bulk.'"

"Lomasa said, 'The sun between his rising and setting used to revolve

round that monarch of mountains--the great Meru of golden lustre. And

seeing this the mountain Vindhya spake to Surya saying, 'As thou every

day goest round Meru and honourest him by thy circumambulations, do thou

even the same by me, O maker of light!' Thus addressed, the sun replied

to the great mountain, saying, 'I do not of my own will honour this

mountain by my circumambulations. By those who have built this universe

hath that path been assigned to me.' Thus addressed the mountain suddenly

began to increase from wrath, desirous, O chastiser of foes, of

obstructing the path of the Sun and the Moon. And all the assembled gods

came to Vindhya, the mighty king of mountains, and tried to dissuade him

from his course. But he heeded not what they said. And then all the

assembled gods went to the saint, living in the hermitage, engaged in the

practice of austerities, and the very best of persons devoted to virtue;

and stated all that happened to Agastya, possessed of exceeding

marvellous power.

"The gods said, 'This king of hills, Vindhya, giving way to wrath, is

stopping the path of the Sun and the Moon, and also the course of the

stars. O foremost of Brahmanas! O thou great in gifts! excepting thyself,

there is none who can prevent him; therefore do thou make him desist.'

Hearing these words of the gods the Brahmana came to the mountain. And he

with his wife, having arrived there, came near Vindhya and spake to him,

saying, 'O thou best of mountains! I wish to have a path given to me by

thee, as, for some purpose, I shall have to go to the southern region.

Until my return, do thou wait for me. And when I have returned, O king of

mountains, thou mayst increase in bulk as much as thou pleasest.' And, O

slayer of foes! having made this compact with Vindhya up to the present

day Varuna's son doth not return from the southern region. Thus have I,

asked by thee, narrated to thee why Vindhya doth not increase in bulk, by

reason of the power of Agastya. Now, O king! hear how the Kalakeyas were

killed by the gods, after they had obtained their prayer from Agastya.

"Having heard the words of the gods, Agastya, the son of Mitra, and

Varuna, said, 'Wherefore are ye come? What boon do ye solicit from me?'

Thus addressed by him, the deities then spake to the saint, saying, 'This

deed we ask thee to achieve, viz., to drink up the great ocean. O

magnanimous (saint)! Then we shall be able to slay those enemies of the

gods, known by the name of Kalakeyas, together with all their adherents.'

Having heard the words of the gods, the saint said, 'Let it be so--I

shall do even what ye desire, and that which will conduce to the great

happiness of men.' Having said this, he then proceeded to the ocean--the

lord of rivers,--accompanied by sages, ripe in the practice of penances,

and also by the deities, O thou who leadest an excellent life! And men

and snakes, celestial choristers, Yakshas and Kinnaras followed the

magnanimous saints,--desirous of witnessing that wonderful event. Then

they came up all together near to the sea, of awful roar, dancing, as it

were, with its billows, bounding with the breeze, and laughing with

masses of froth, and stumbling at the caves, and thronged with diverse

kinds of sharks, and frequented by flocks of various birds. And the

deities accompanied by Agastya and celestial choristers and huge snakes

and highly-gifted saints, approached the immense watery waste."

SECTION CV

"Lomasa said, 'That blessed saint, the son of Varuna, having reached the

sea spake unto the assembled gods, and the saints gathered together,

saying 'I surely am going to drink up the ocean--that abode of the god of

waters. Be ye quickly ready with those preparations which it devolves

upon you to make.' Having spoken these few words, the unswerving

offspring of Mitra and Varuna, full of wrath, began to drink up the sea,

while all the worlds stood observing (the deed). Then the gods, together

with Indra, seeing how the sea was being drunk up, were struck with

mighty amazement, and glorified him with laudatory words, saying, 'Thou

art our protector, and the Providence itself for men,--and also the

creator of the worlds. By thy favour the universe with its gods may

possibly be saved from havoc.' And the magnanimous one, glorified by the

gods--while the musical instruments of celestial choristers were playing

all round, and while celestial blossoms were showered upon him--rendered

waterless the wide ocean. And seeing the wide ocean rendered devoid of

water, the host of gods was exceedingly glad; and taking up choice

weapons of celestial forge, fell to slaying the demons with courageous

hearts,--And they, assailed by the magnanimous gods, of great strength,

and swift of speed, and roaring loudly, were unable to withstand the

onset of their fleet and valorous (foes)--those residents of the heavenly

regions, O descendant of Bharata! And those demons, attacked by the gods,

bellowing loudly, for a moment carried on terrible conflict. They had

been in the first instance burnt by the force of penances performed by

the saints, who had matured their selves; therefore, the demons, though

they tried to the utmost, were at last slaughtered by the gods. And

decked with brooches of gold, and bearing on their persons ear-rings and

armlets, the demons, when slain, looked beautiful indeed, like palasa

trees when full of blossoms. Then, O best of men! a few--the remnant of

those that were killed of the Kalakeya race, having rent asunder the

goddess Earth, took refuge at the bottom of the nether regions. And the

gods, when they saw that the demons were slain, with diverse speeches,

glorified the mighty saint, and spake the following words. 'O thou of

mighty arms, by thy favour men have attained a mighty blessing, and the

Kalakeyas, of ruthless strength have been killed by thy power, O creator

of beings! Fill the sea (now), O mighty-armed one; give up again the

water drunk up by thee.' Thus addressed, the blessed and mighty saint

replied, 'That water in sooth hath been digested by me. Some other

expedient, therefore, must be thought of by you, if ye desire to make

endeavour to fill the ocean.' Hearing this speech of that saint of

matured soul, the assembled gods were struck with both wonder and

sadness, O great king! And thereupon, having bidden adieu to each other,

and bowed to the mighty saint all the born beings went their way. And the

gods with Vishnu, came to Brahma. And having held consultation again,

with the view of filling up the sea, they, with joined hands, spake about

replenishing it."