27 verses
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The Supreme Lord, who is the cause of the cosmic manifestation, after instructing Indra, disappeared as the devatās watched.
O King Parīkṣit! On being requested by the devatās, liberal Dadhīci, the son of Atharvā, being pleased, spoke as follows while smiling.
Though he was pleased, and smiled, there was an indication that he would scold them by refusing the request.
|| 6.103 ||
api vṛndārakā yūyaṁ
na jānītha śarīriṇām
saṁsthāyāṁ yas tv abhidroho
duḥsahaś cetanāpahaḥ
O devatās! You do not know that, at the time of death, there is severe, unbearable pain which takes away the consciousness of all living entities.
Saṁsthāyām means at death.
The body is dear to all jīvas. It is to be protected by those desiring to live in this world. Who could tolerate giving this body even to Viṣṇu, if he asked?
We know, but Viṣṇu himself has asked us to request you. Ātmā means the body. Who can tolerate giving the body even to Viṣṇu?
The devatās said: O brāhmaṇa! For pious persons like you, whose activities are praiseworthy, who are compassionate to all people, what is difficult to give up?
Selfish people do not know the pain of others. If the requester knew others pain, he would not ask, and if the donor knew others pain he would not refuse to give, since he is capable of giving.
The sage speaks part of the verse. Selfish people do not know the pain of others. If the requester knew others pain, he would not ask. The devatās speak the other part of the verse. Selfish people do not know the pain of others. If the donor knew others pain he would not refuse to give. Thus the verse has two meanings. Those who request and have attachment to the enjoyment of Svarga do not know the suffering they cause to the person (by taking his bones) from whom they ask. If they knew, from good intelligence as devatās, they would not ask. Since you do not have intelligence you are not real devatās, but are equivalent to animals such as tigers. Hearing what the sage said, the devatās then replied. The donor who is selfish and attached to the happiness of long life and possession of a body with senses, does not know the suffering of the requester, caused by attacks of the fierce enemy. If he knew, since he should have intelligence and knowledge as a sage, then he would not say I will not give, since he is are capable of giving. Since you lack discrimination, you are not a real sage. Because you are filled with lamentation and illusion, you are equivalent to a cow.
The sage Dadhīci said: Just in order to hear from you about religious principles, I first refused to offer my body. I will give up this body which is leaving anyway.
I have heard about dharma in your answer to my refusal. Or the words can be sarcastic I have not heard about dharma, just some fancy words. Anyway, I will state my desire. I will give up this body which will die in a short time anyway. I will give up the body before it gives me up. I offer it to you. This will be good fortune for me.
O lords! One who does not endeavor for dharma and fame through his temporary body by showing compassion to others is pitied even by the immovable beings.
Nāthāḥ is a vocative O lords!
The mind, possessing imperishable dharma, which laments others distress and rejoices at their joy, is praised by pious men.
Ātmā means mind.
A person who does not assist others by his body, relatives and wealth, which are perishable, to be eaten by jackals, and not meant for self interest, is in a miserable, difficult situation.
He criticizes a person who does not give. Pārakyaiḥ means to be eaten by jackals. He should assist others by his wealth (sva), relatives (jñāti) and body (vigrahaiḥ).
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Dadhīci, the son of Atharvā, offering himself to the Lord, gave up his body.
Controlling his senses, life air, mind and intelligence and destroying all bondage, situated in samādhi, Dadhīci, seer of the truth, was not aware that he had left his body.
Yogam means samādhi. Gatam means the body fell away from the soul.
vṛto deva-gaṇaiḥ sarvair gajendropary aśobhata stūyamāno muni-gaṇais trailokyaṁ harṣayann iva
Thereafter, Indra took up the thunderbolt manufactured by Viśvakarmā, charged with the power of Dadhīci and endowed by the power of the Lord. Riding on the back of his carrier, Airāvata, surrounded by all the devatās, while all the sages offered him praise, he appeared glorious, giving delight to the three worlds.
Instead of śaktibhiḥ another version has sakthibhiḥ (by his bones).
O King! As Rudra had formerly attacked Yamarāja, Indra angrily and with great force attacked Vṛtrāsura, who was surrounded by the leaders of the demoniac armies.
Paryastam means surrounded by. Śiva is capable of killing Yamarāja. Similarly Indra was capable of killing Vṛtrāsura. Or it can mean Just as a lion attacks another lion, so Indra attacked Vṛtrāsura. (They fought ferociously.)
Thereafter, at the beginning of Tretā-yuga in the first yuga cycle of Vaivasvata Manvantara, a fierce battle took place between the devatās and the demons on the bank of the Narmadā River.
The battle took place at the beginning of Tretā-yuga, in the first cycle of four yugas of Vaivasvata Manvantara.
dṛṣṭvā vajra-dharaṁ śakraṁ rocamānaṁ svayā śriyā nāmṛṣyann asurā rājan mṛdhe vṛtra-puraḥsarāḥ
O King! When all the demons headed by Vṛtrāsura came onto the battlefield, they saw Indra, shining with his effulgence, carrying the thunderbolt and surrounded by the Rudras, Vasus, Ādityas, Aśvinī-kumāras, Pitṛs, Vahnis, Maruts, Ṛbhus, Sādhyas and Viśvadevas. They could not tolerate this.
pulomā vṛṣaparvā ca prahetir hetir utkalaḥ daiteyā dānavā yakṣā rakṣāṁsi ca sahasraśaḥ
sumāli-māli-pramukhāḥ
kārtasvara-paricchadāḥ
pratiṣidhyendra-senāgraṁ
mṛtyor api durāsadam
abhyardayann asambhrāntāḥ
siṁha-nādena durmadāḥ
gadābhiḥ parighair bāṇaiḥ
prāsa-mudgara-tomaraiḥ
Thousands of ferocious, fearless Daityas, Dānavas, Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, such as Namuci, Śambara, Anarvā, Dvimūrdhā, Ṛṣabha, Asura, Hayagrīva, Śaḍkuśirā, Vipracitti, Ayomukha, Pulomā, Vṛṣaparvā, Praheti, Heti and Utkala, headed by Sumāli and Māli, clad in gold, roaring like lions, resisted the armies of King Indra, which even death personified could not easily overcome. They attacked with clubs, bludgeons, arrows, barbed darts, mallets and lances.
Armed with lances, tridents, axes, swords, śataghnīs and bhuśuṇòis, the demons scattered the chiefs of the devatās.
Śataghnī is a weapon four hastas in length with iron spikes. Bhuṣuṇòī is a weapon with prominently arranged iron spikes.
As the stars cannot be seen when covered by dense clouds, the devatās, being completely covered by networks of arrows falling upon them one after another, could not be seen.
Puḍkha is the feathered end of the arrow. The arrows fell so that one arrow head followed exactly next to the feathered end of the previous arrow. Though the arrows covered the devatās like clouds covering the stars, the arrows could not touch the devatās, just as the clouds do not touch the stars.
The showers of various weapons and arrows released to kill the soldiers of the devatās did not reach them because the devatās, acting quickly, cut the weapons into thousands of pieces in the sky.
As their weapons decreased, the demons began showering mountain peaks, trees and stones upon the devatās soldiers, but the devatās cut them to pieces in the sky as before.
When the soldiers of Vṛtrāsura saw that the soldiers of King Indra were quite well, uninjured at all by their volleys of weapons, not harmed by trees, stones and mountain peaks, the demons became afraid.
Niśāmya means seeing. Tatrasuḥ means they became afraid.
Just as rough words pronounced by low persons are futile against saintly persons, all the efforts of the demons against the devatās under the protection of Kṛṣṇa were futile.
Uṣati should be uṣatyaḥ (harsh speech), expressing misfortune, such as saying again and again to the Vaiṣṇavas, You should die immediately. Rukṣa means abusive speech such as Ah! What a low person you are!
The demons, since they were not devotees of Lord, saw that their endeavors were fruitless. Their pride in fighting gone, their prowess dissipated, they left their leader even in the very beginning of the fight, and made up their minds to flee.
Seeing the strength of his army broken and seeing the demons and their followers fleeing out of intense fear, intelligent, brave Vṛṭra, smiling, then spoke these words.
Vṛtrāsura, the hero among heroes, spoke pleasing, wise words suitable to the time. "O Vipracitti! O Namuci! O Pulomā! O Maya, Anarvā and Śambara! Please hear me!
For those who have taken birth, death, for which no remedy has been created in this world, is certain. If one were to attain Svarga and fame, who would not accept such a death?
If there will be fame and Svarga after death, it is this (amum) death is proper.
There are two approved ways to die, and both are very rare. One is to give up the body by engaging in yoga, with control of the life airs, concentrating on Brahman; the other way is to die on the battlefield, leading the army and never showing one's back.
Vīra-śaye means on the battlefield. Anivṛttaḥ means facing the enemy.
Thus ends the commentary on the Tenth Chapter of the Sixth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
The Tenth Chapter describes receiving the bones of Dadhīci, making the thunderbolt and the victory of the devatās over the demons.