40 verses
Maitreya said: At Manus place called Brahmāvarta where the Sarasvatī River turns east, Pṛthu prepared to perform a hundred horse sacrifices.
Thinking that Pṛthu would excel him, Indra could not tolerate the great sacrifice of Pṛthu.
Ātmanaḥ means more than him.
In that sacrifice, the master of sacrifice, the Supreme Lord, the soul of all beings, the guru for the whole universe, Viṣṇu, personally appeared.
Seven verses show how he surpassed Indra in execution of karma.
The Lord, accompanied by Brahmā and Śiva, as well as the other devatās and their followers, was praised by the Gandharvas, Apsarās and sages.
kapilo nārado datto yogeśāḥ sanakādayaḥ tam anvīyur bhāgavatā ye ca tat-sevanotsukāḥ
The Siddhas, Vidyādharas, Daityas, Dānavas, Yakṣas, Sunanda and Nanda, who were the Lords chief associates, Kapila, Nārada, Dattātreya, masters of yoga, and the Kumāras, who were all great devotees eager for service, followed the Lord.
O Vidura! At that sacrifice, the pure earth, yielding all desirable things, yielding dharma, offered all desired objects to Pṛthu.
The rivers flowed with all saps, yogurt, milk, and foods. The tall trees, dropping honey, produced fruit.
Bhūri-varṣmāṇaḥ means very big. Amara-koṣa says varṣma means body and size. Those trees, dropping honey, produced fruit.
The oceans offered heaps of jewels, mountains offered four kinds of food and all the planets and their lords offered gifts.
Envious of the high prosperity of Pṛthu, who was the Supreme Lord, Indra obstructed the sacrifice.
Instead of prṭhos tu the words pṛthos tad is sometimes seen.
When Pṛthu was worshipping Viṣṇu with the last horse sacrifice, envious Indra with an invisible form stole the horse.
Yajuḥpatim means Viṣṇu. Apovāha means he stole.
Atri saw Indra moving quickly in the sky in the dress of a heretic, who by that disguise made people think adharma to be dharma.
Afraid of being seen, Indra was fleeing away quickly, and wearing (āmuktam) the dress of a heretic like armor. Amara-koṣa says that āmukta means until liberation or dressed. By him there was an illusion of dharma with what was actually adharma
Encouraged by Atri to kill him, the son of Pṛthu, a great warrior, followed him in anger. He said, Stop! Stop!
Seeing him in that dress, with matted locks and smeared in ashes, Pṛthus son thought he must be a religious person. He did not shoot him.
He thought, The person with this dress must being following dharma somewhat, from seeing Śiva or others.
Atri again ordered the son of Pṛthu to kill him after he had refrained from doing so. Boy! Kill the destroyer of sacrifice, great Indra, lowest of the devatās!
Hantave means to kill.
Thus being ordered, the son of Pṛthu pursued Indra, who was moving quickly in the sky, just as the king of vultures Jaṭāyu pursued Rāvaṇa.
Tvaramāṇam refers to Indra. The king of vultures is Jaṭāyu.
Giving up the disguise and the horse, Indra became invisible to him. The hero then took the horse and returned to the sacrifice of his father.
O Vidura! The great sages, seeing the sons astounding action, gave him the name Vijitāśva, he who had won the horse.
The sages gave the son (tasmai) a name. It should be understood that the same son was taught the art of disappearing, according to later statements (SB 4.24.3).
Creating intense darkness, powerful Indra, in disguise, again stole the horse with its golden rope from the sacrificial post.
Creating darkness, in the disguise of a heretic (channaḥ), he again stole the horse. Caṣāla is a pile of sticks. He stole the horse from the post near the sticks. He stole the horse from the post. He took the horse tied with a golden rope, which could not be cut because of its strength, by slipping it over the tip of the post.
Atri saw him moving quickly in the sky. Pṛthus son did not kill him since he was carrying a staff with skull on top.
Ordered by Atri, he fixed an arrow on his bow with anger. Giving up the horse and the disguise, Indra became invisible.
Taking the horse, Pṛthus son returned to the sacrifice of his father. Foolish people after that adopted the despicable dress of Indra who was not killed.
Foolish persons think that because Indra was not killed by Pṛthus son, they also cannot be killed. Starting their own sampradaya which propagated ideas to spoil sacrifice, they desired to define the goal as powers like stealing others wealth and disappearing as their goal.
Whatever forms Indra accepted for stealing the horse, those became symbols or khaṇòa of sin. Thus those persons are called pākhaṇòas or pāṣaṇòas.
This verse derives the meaning of pākhāṇòa (heretic). The plural is used to indicate that many varieties of pāṣaṇdaṣ appeared.
dharma ity upadharmeṣu nagna-rakta-paṭādiṣu prāyeṇa sajjate bhrāntyā peśaleṣu ca vāgmiṣu
When Indra stole the horse with a desire to stop the sacrifice of Pṛthu, peoples minds became attracted to those disguises of heretics which he assumed and rejected, thinking by mistake that these resemblances to dharma, in the form of going naked, wearing red cloth and speaking skillfully, were real dharma.
The foolish became attracted to the clothing which Indra accepted and later rejected. Naked persons refers to the Jains. Wearing red cloth refers to the Buddhists. Ādīṣu (etc.) refers to followers of Śiva who carry a skull and other as well. Upadharma means resembling dharma, but not dharma. They speak with instantly charming words (peśaleṣu vāgmiṣu), skilful at logic.
Understanding this, Pṛthu, greatly courageous and angry at Indra, took up his bow and aimed his arrow.
Observing that Pṛthu, who was terrible to behold, having intolerable speed against his enemies, was preparing to kill Indra, the priests prevented him. O great soul! From what is declared in scriptures, it is not proper that other killing should take place in this sacrifice.
Ahisandhitam means having the intention. Vicakṣya means seeing. Because of the prescriptions of scripture (pracoditāt) no killing except the sacrifice of the animals is allowed.
O King! We will call Indra, the destroyer of your goal, who has lost his power, to this sacrifice by fresh mantras and without delay will forcibly offer him into the fire.
What is the remedy in this situation? They explain. We will call him using beckoning prayers, āhvana-mantras (upahavaiḥ), whose power is not worn out (ayātayāma). Though this particular Indra was an avatāra of the Lord, and the priests were not materialists, they spoke in this way to show the nature of those following the path of karma: even intelligent persons on this path become blind. As Brahmā becomes blind by lust, Śiva becomes blind by anger, so the nature of Indra who is avatāra of Viṣṇu is revealed to have envy and crookedness.
After informing the king of sacrifice, Brahmā approached the priests of Pṛthu, who, ladle in hand, were offering oblations in anger. He stopped them.
Asya means of Pṛthu.
You should not kill Indra because he is the body of the Lord. You wish to kill Indra by a sacrifice in which the devatās, part of his body, are worshipped.
Indra is the body of the Lord. The brāhmaṇas should not try to kill the form of the Lord. What is the use of being brāhmaṇas then (bhavatām)? You wish to kill him by sacrifice, but how can you kill the personification of sacrifice, Indra, by sacrifice? It is like throwing a small amount of milk in a fire. Moreover, the devatās, who are parts of his body, are worshipped by us in the sacrifice. How can he die? You did not consider this.
O brāhmaṇas! See the great disruption of dharma that Indra has caused by desiring to obstruct the Kings sacrifice.
Moreover, by his dress, adharma will increase. See how adharma has become factual in this kingdom. Dharma-vyatikaram means the path of the heretics (pāṣaṇda).
Pṛthu, of great fame, should perform only ninety-nine sacrifices. What is to be gained by well performed sacrifices, since you know the path of liberation?
What are you suggesting I do? Ninety-nine sacrifices is a great number (pṛthu). This will give him greater fame (pṛthu-kīrteḥ) that Indra with his hundred sacrifices. By that, his fame will be complete. This will happen because of my blessings. The number ninety-nine is specifically mentioned, being one short of a hundred. That number is perfect for Pṛthu. Though his vow was incomplete, by my blessings, the ninety-nine become perfect. Having spoken to the priests, Brahmā then addressed Pṛthu and said, These sacrifices are not necessary for you.
You should not show anger to Indra, since he is non-different from you. Good fortune to both of you, who are forms of the Supreme Lord!
You should not show anger, because he is non-different from you, since you are both avatāras of the Lord.
O King! Being respectful, hearing my words, do not worry about the incomplete sacrifice, because the angry mind of one who mediates on doing what is destroyed by fate enters into deepest illusion.
He speaks to Pṛthu who is meditating on the incomplete sacrifice. Certainly the mind of the person who mediates on doing what is destroyed by fate enters into the deepest illusion. He does not attain peace.
Let this sacrifice be stopped! In this sacrifice, among the devatās, Indra has become stubborn, and dharma has been destroyed by heretics introduced by Indra.
Therefore stop the sacrifice. Cant Indra be stopped? Among the devatās, he is very stubborn. Yatra means in the sacrifice.
See the people carried away by the attractive heretics created by Indra, who stole the horse and destroyed your sacrifice.
This shows the disturbance created by Indras stubbornness. Hāribhiḥ means by those who are attractive. Indra stole the horse (aśva-muṭ) and that created obstacles to the sacrifice (yajña-dhruk. By that he created pāṣaṇdās.
O Pṛthu! You have appeared in this world from Venas body as a portion of the Lord to deliver dharma suitable at this time for the people, which has become lost.
You should spread dharma not adharma (which will occur if Indra obstructs more sacrifices).
Master of the people! Considering the auspiciousness of the world, complete the vow of the progenitors and destroy the illusion which generates imitation dharma, created by Indra--the path of the formidable heretics.
O master of the progeny! Think of the auspiciousness (bhavam) of the world. The progenitors created you by churning the arm of Vena. Fulfill their desire. Pipīpṛhi, instead of puraya is poetic license. This path of formidable heretics, created by Indra produces (mātaram) upadharma. Patham is masculine though mātaram is feminine, since it has a fixed gender.
Maitreya said: Instructed thus by the guru of the universe, Pṛthu, the King, made peace with Indra, showing him affection.
Ca means certainly. According to the instruction of Brahmā, he showed affection to Indra. Though Indra was elder and was King of the devatās, by the order of Brahmā, Pṛthu showed affection. They were equal, since they both are viśuddha-sattva, but Brahmā saw that Pṛthu was superior because of his superior bhakti, and thus instructed him to show affection to Indra. Sandadhe means they made peace.
The bestowers of benedictions, pleased with the sacrifice, gave blessings to Pṛthu, performer of great acts, after he had taken his avabhṛtha bath.
O Vidura! The brāhmaṇas, whose blessings come true, and who were satisfied, having been worshipped and given donations with faith, gave blessings to the original King.
O mighty-armed King! All these who have assembled--the Pitṛs, sages among the devatās and men, called by you--have been worshipped with charity and respect.
The satisfied brāhmaṇas speak this verse.
Thus ends the commentary on the Nineteenth Chapter of the Fourth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
The Nineteenth Chapter describes how Indra, stealing the sacrificial horse, created heretics, and how Brahmā stopped the priests from killing him.
The place made by the devatās between the Sarasvatī and Dṛśadvatī Rivers is called Brahmāvarta. Haya-medha-śatena means for the purpose of performing a hundred horse sacrifices.