Parva 2 Chapter 21: vṛṣabhāsuravadhaḥ - Slaying of Vrishabhasura

vaiśaṁpāyana said: (O janamejaya!) One day, early in the morning, when kṛṣṇa was engaged in rati, ariṣṭa was seen, terrifying the entire vraja. nirvāṇāṅgārameghābhastīkṣṇaśṛṅgo'rkalocanaḥ | kṣuratīkṣṇāgracharaṇaḥ kālaḥ kāla ivāparaḥ ||2-21-2 He was black as coal and rain cloud. He had sharp horns and his eyes were red as sun. His hooves were sharp as a knife. He appeared as black death personified. lelihānaḥ saniṣpeṣaṁ jihvayoṣṭhau punaḥ punaḥ | garvitāviddhalāṅgūlaḥ kaṭhinaskandhabandhanaḥ ||2-21-3 As he approached he began to bite his lips in anger and lick them again and again. He bellowed raising his tail. He had a large hard bump on his back. kakudodagranirmāṇaḥ pramāṇādduratikramaḥ | śakṛnmūtropaliptāṅgo gavāmudvejano bhṛśam ||2-21-4 His hump was extremely large. No one could control him. His rear body was smeared with dung and urine. He frightened the cows. mahākatṭiḥ sthūlamukho dṛḍhajānurmahodaraḥ | viṣāṇāvalgitagatirlambatā kanṭhacharmaṇā ||2-21-5 He had a broad waist, a large face, strong knees and a large belly. He walked shaking his horns. The skin from his neck hung down. gavāroheṣu chapalastarughātāṅkitānanaḥ | yuddhasajjaviṣāṇāgro dviṣadvṛṣabhasūdanaḥ ||2-21-6 He appeared keen to mate with the cows. His head had bruises, due to hitting the trees. He had horns ready for fighting. He was strong to fell down enemy bulls. ariśṭo nāma hi gavāmariṣṭo dāruṇākṛtiḥ | daityo vṛṣabharūpeṇa goṣṭhānviparidhāvati ||2-21-7 The cows were frightened by the terrible ariṣṭa. The daitya entered the vraja in the form of a bull and created havoc. pātayāno gavāṁ garbhāndṛpto gacchatyanārtavam | jṛmbhamāṇaścha chapalo gṛṣṭīḥ saṁpracacāra ha ||2-21-8 He attacked pregnant cows and caused miscarriage. The proud daitya mated with cows even it was not their time. The restless bull chased the cows that had already delivered calves. śṛṅgapraharaṇo raudraḥ praharangoṣu durmadaḥ | goṣṭheṣu na ratiṁ lebhe vinā yuddhena govṛṣaḥ ||2-21-9 Using his horn as a weapon, the formidable daitya attacked the cows. Without fight, the bull did not derive enjoyment in the vraja. kasyachittvatha kālasya sa vṛṣaḥ keśavāgrataḥ | ājagāma balodagro vaivasvatavashe sthitaḥ ||2-21-10 One day, the formidable bull, whose time to go to the god of death (vaivasvata) had come, came in front of keshava. sa tatra gāstu prasabhaṁ bādhamāno madotkaṭaḥ | cakāra nirvṛṣaṁ goṣṭhaṁ nirvatsaśiśupuṅgavam ||2-21-11 As soon as he entered vraja, the mad bull started harassing the cows. With his attack, he made all the bulls, cows and calves flee from vraja. etasminneva kale tu gāvaḥ kṛṣṇasamīpagāḥ | trāsayāmāsa duṣṭātmā vaivasvatavashe sthitaḥ ||2-21-12 At the same time, the wicked bull, who was ready to go to the god of death (vaivasvata) frightened the cows near kṛṣṇa. sendrāśanirivāmbhodo nardamāno mahāsuraḥ | tālaśabdena taṁ kṛṣṇassiṁhanādaiścha mohayan ||2-21-13 The great daitya roared like a thundering rain cloud. kṛṣṇa clapped his hands and shouted in response. abhyadhāvata govindo daityaṁ vṛṣabharūpiṇam | sa kṛṣṇaṁ govṛṣo dṛṣṭvā hṛṣṭalāṅgūlalocanaḥ ||2-21-14 govinda charged at the daitya in the form of a bull. Seeing kṛṣna, the bull raised its tail and looked at him. roṣitastālaśabdena yuddhākāṅkṣī nanarda ha | tamāpatantaṁ durvṛttaṁ dṛśtvā vṛṣabharūpiṇam | tasmātsthānānna vyacalatkṛṣṇo giririvācalaḥ |||2-21-15 By clapping hands, kṛṣṇa made the bull angry. Ready to fight, the bull was roaring. kṛṣṇa saw the wicked bull running towards him. Like a mountain, kṛṣṇa did not move from his position. sa kukṣau vṛṣabho dṛṣṭiṁ praṇidhāya dhṝtānanaḥ | kṛṣṇasya nidhanākāṅkṣī tūrṇamabhyutpapāta ha ||2-21-16 The bull kept its aim on kṛṣṇa's belly and lifted its head. The bull ran fast intending to kill kṛṣṇa. tamāpatantaṁ pramukhe pratijagrāha durddharam | kṛṣṇaḥ kṛṣṇāṣjananibho vṛṣaṁ prativṛṣopamaḥ ||2-21-17 kṛṣṇa, black as aṣjana, looked like a powerful bull as he faced the bull. As the formidable bull approached, kṛṣṇa caught him. sa saṁsaktastu kṛṣṇo vai vṛṣeṇeva mahāvṛṣaḥ | mumocha vaktrajaṁ phenaṁ nastaścātha saśabdavat ||2-21-18 The great bull was confronted by kṛṣṇa, like a great bull. Foam and saliva started coming from its mouth and nose. tāvanyonyāvaruddhāṅgau yuddhe kṛṣṇavṛṣāvubhau | rejaturmeghasamaye saṁsaktāviva toyadau ||2-21-19 kṛṣṇa and the bull fought against each other. They dazzled like two confronting rain clouds in the rainy season. tasya darpabalaṁ hatvā kṛtvā śṛṅgāntare padam | āpīḍayadariṣṭasya kaṇṭhaṁ klinnamivāṁbaram ||2-21-20 Destroying the pride and power of the bull, kṛṣṇa kicked it between the horns. kṛṣna twisted its neck like a wet cloth. śṛṅgaṁ cāsya punaḥ savyamutpāṭya yamadaṇḍāvat | tenaiva prāharadvaktre sa mamāra bhṛśaṁ hataḥ ||2-21-21 Pulling out the left horn of the bull, which looked like the rod of the god of death, kṛṣṇa struck him in the mouth. The bull fell down, dead. sa bhinnaśṛṅgo bhagnāsyo bhagnaskandhashcha dānavaḥ | papāta rudhirodgārī sāmbudhāra ivāmbudaḥ ||2-21-22 With its horns broken, face smashed and neck broken, the daitya began to vomit blood like a cloud release water. govindena hataṁ dṛṣṭvā dṛptaṁ vṛṣabhadānavam | sādhu sādhviti bhūtāni tatkarmāsyābhituṣṭuvuḥ ||2-21-23 Seeing the daitya, in the form of the proud bull, killed by govinda, all people were pleased by his action. They praised kṛṣna. sa chopendro vṛṣaṁ hatvā kāntachandre niśāmukhe | aravindābhanayanaḥ punareva rarāsa ha ||2-21-24 upendra (kṛṣṇa) killed the bull during the night, when moon was shining brightly. kṛṣṇa with eyes as beautiful as lotus, resumed the rāsakrīḍā. te'pi govṛttayaḥ sarve kṛṣṇaṁ kamalalocanam | upāsāṁcakrire hṛṣṭāḥ sarve śakramivāmarāḥ ||2-21-25 All the gopa-s happily worshipped kṛṣṇa with lotus eyes, like the gods worshipping indra. iti srimahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe viṣṇuparvaṇi vṛṣabhāsuravadhe ekaviṁśo'dhyāyaḥ Thus this is the twenty-first chapter of viṣṇuparva of harivaṁśa, khila of śrimahābhārata, slaying of vṛṣabhāsura. nīlakaṇṭha commentary athaikaviṁśe hyadhyāye ariṣṭaṁ vṛṣarūpiṇam | devaśatruṁ durādharṣaṁ kṛṣṇo'hanaditīryate || 1 || · 2-21-1 pradoṣārddhe iti | · 2-21-2 nirvāṇāṅgāra iṅgālaḥ meghashcha tadubhayābhaḥ kāla kṛṣṇavarṇaḥ kālayitā saṁhartā vetthyarthaḥ | · 2-21-3 garvitaṁ darpaḥ tena āviddhaṁ bhrāmitaṁ lāṅgūlaṁ yena saḥ kaṭhinaṁ skandhabandhanaṁ kakudyasya || · 2-21-4 kakudeti | kakudāghāena udagram agranihitaṁ kṛtaṁ nirmāṇaṁ mahāprāsādādirachanaṁ yena sa tathā | kakudāghātena tādite vṛkṣaprāsādamūle sarvamapi tadbhajyata ityarthaḥ | · 2-21-8 gṛṣṭīḥ sadyaḥ prasūtāḥ gāḥ saṁpracacāra jagāma | retaḥ sekāyetyarthaḥ | · 2-21-12 gāvaḥ gāḥ vaivasvatavashe sthitaḥ āsannamṛtyuḥ | · 2-21-14 hṛṣṭam utphalitaṁ lāṅgūlaṁ lochane ca yena saḥ | · 2-21-16 saṁprahartukāma iti śeṣaḥ | · 2-21-17 pramukhe mukhāgre Oṣṭayorityarthaḥ | vegena iti vā pāṭhaḥ | · 2-21-18 nastaḥ nāsikātaḥ | · 2-21-25 govṛttayo gopāḥ | ayaṁ cārtho dāśatayyām - "pranemasmin dadṛśe somo antar- gopānemamāvirasthā kṛṇoti sa tigmaśṛṅgam vṛṣabhaṁ yuyutsan- druhastatstau bahule baddho antaḥ" iti mantreṇopabṛṁhitaḥ | mantrārthastu antargopāḥ antaḥ sthitvā gopāyannantaryāmī nemasminnardhaprapaṣche sthāvare somaḥ somādirūpaḥ pradadṛśe prakarṣeṇa dṛṣṭaḥ nemamardhe prapaṣcaṁ asthā asthiram jaṅgamaṁ āviḥ kṛṇoti prakaṭīkaroti | sa tigmaśṛṅgaṁ vṛṣabhaṁ yuyutsan yoddhumicchan dṛṅmātreṇa bhasmīkartuṁ śakt'opi līlayā tena saha yuyutsan druhaḥ drohaṁ kṛtavān taṁ hatavānityarthaḥ | tatashcha bahule vraje antaḥ rāsamaṇḍalamadhye baddhaḥ bhaktajanena premapāśena baddhaḥ san tasthau krīḍitumiti śeṣaḥ || iti śrīharvaṁśe viṣṇuparvaṇi ṭīkāyāmekaviṁśodhyāyaḥ |