Parva 2 Chapter 82: ṣaṭpuravadhaḥ - elimination of ṣaṭpura

janamejaya said: O vaiśampāyana! O the expert of dharma! Disciple of vyāsa! One with a wealth of penance! While narrating the taking of pārijāta, you spoke about śaṭpuraṁ, nivāso'suramukhyānāṁ dāruṇānāṁ tapodhana | teṣaṁ vadhaṁ muniśreṣṭha kīrtayasvāndhakasya ca ||2-82-2 the residence of prominent demons who are terrible. O the one with a wealth of penance, please describe about their destruction as well as andhaka's destruction, o the best among sages! vaishampyana uvāca tripure nihate vīre rudreṇākliṣṭakarmaṇā | tatra pradhānā bahavo babhūvurasurottamāḥ ||2-82-3 vaiśampāyana said: As rudra (shiva) who performs tasks that are difficult to do, destroyed the valiant tripura-s, many best and important demons were included in them. śarāgninā na dagdhāste rudreṇa tripurālayāḥ | ṣaṣṭhiḥ śatasahasrāṇi na nyūnānyadhikāni ca ||2-82-4 There were no more and no less than sixty lakh residents of tripura who were not burned by the fire of rudra's arrows. te jṣātivadhasaṁtaptāścakrurvīrāḥ purā tapaḥ | jaṁbūmārge satāmiṣṭe maharṣigaṇasevite ||2-82-5 Those valiant demons who were distressed by the destruction of their kinsmen performed severe penance. They were living in the path of jaṁbū, dear to good men and served by sages. ādityābhimukhā vīrāḥ sahasrāṇāṁ śataṁ samāḥ | vāyubhakṣā nṛpaśreṣṭha stuvantaḥ padmasambhavam ||2-82-6 O the best among kings (janamejaya)! (vaiśampāyana continued) The valiant (demons) performed great penance facing the sun for one hundred thousand years, praising the one who was born in the lotus (brahma) and subsisting on air. teṣāmudumbaraṁ rājangaṇa ekaḥ samāśritaḥ | vṛkṣaṁ tatrāvasanvīrāste kurvanto mahattapaḥ ||2-82-7 O king (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued)! One group among the valiant demons, performed great penance living under the tree, Ficus Religiosa (audumbara). kapitthavṛkṣamāśritya kechittatroṣitāḥ purā | sṛgālavāṭīstvapare cherurugraṁ tathā tapaḥ ||2-82-8 Some others performed penance, in that time, living under the tree Feronia Elephantum (kapittha). Others performed severe penance living in a den of jackals. vaṭamūle tathā cherustapaḥ kauravanandana | adhīyanto paraṁ brahma vaṭaṁ gatvāsurātmajāḥ ||2-82-9 O the son of kuru (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued)! Some sons of demons performed penance living under the banyan tree (Ficus indica) while some of them climbed the tree and performed penance thinking about the supreme brahma. teṣāṁ tuṣṭaḥ prajākartā naradevapitāmahaḥ | varaṁ dātuṁ suraśreṣṭhaḥ prāpto dharmabhṛtāṁ varaḥ ||2-82-10 O the lord of men! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued), the great grandfather, the creator of beings, became pleased with them. The best among deva-s, the best among those who are fixed in dharma, arrived there to give them boons. varaṁ varayatetyuktāste rājanpadmayoninā | neṣustadvaradānaṁ tu dviṣantastryambakaṁ vibhum ||2-82-11 O king! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) They were told by the one who was born in the lotus (brahma) to ask for boon. Due to the hatred towards the three eyed lord (shiva) they did not ask for boons, icchanto'pachitiṁ gantuṁ jṣānināṁ kurunandana | tānuvāca tato brahmā sarvajṣaḥ kurunandana ||2-82-12 O the son of kuru! (janamejay! vaiśampāyana continued) desiring for revenge for their kinsmen (who were destroyed by lord shiva). O the son of kuru! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) Then brahma, who knows everything, told them: viśvasya jagataḥ kartuḥ saṁhartuścha mahātmanaḥ | kaḥ śakto'pachitiṁ gantuṁ māstu vo'tra vṛthā śramaḥ ||2-82--13 Who is capable of taking revenge on the great soul, the creator as well as the destroyer of the world? You should not waste your effort on this. anādimadhyanidhanaḥ somo devo maheśvaraḥ | tamāsūya sukhaṁ svarge vastumicchanti ye'surāḥ ||2-82-14 The great lord, the lord with umā, the lord (shiva), does not have the beginning, middle and end. Opposing him, which demons will like to live comfortably in heaven? te neṣustatra kechittu durātmāno mahāsurāḥ | atheṣurapare rājannasurā bhavyabhāvanāḥ ||2-82-15 (vaiśampāyana continued) Some great demons, having wicked souls did not heed this. O king! Some other demons, who had foresight (on future) agreed to this. neṣurye sudurātmānastānuvāca pitāmahaḥ | varayadhvaṁ varaṁ vīrā rudrakrodhamṛte'surāḥ ||2-82-16 The great grandfather (brahma) told the demons who did not agree. O valiant demons! Ask for boons, except the enmity with rudra. te ūcuḥ sarvadevānāmavadhyāḥ syāma he vibho | purāṇi ṣaṭcha no deva bhavantvantarmahītale ||2-82-17 They said: O lord! Let us be not killed by all devas. O lord! We should get six cities on the face of earth. sarvakāmasamṛddhārthaṁ ṣaṭpuraṁ cāstu naḥ prabho | vayaṁ ca ṣaṭpuraṁ gatvā vasema ca sukhaṁ vibho ||2-82-18 O lord! Those six cities (śaṭpuraṁ) shall fulfill all our desires. O lord! We shall live comfortably in the ṣaṭpuraṁ. rudrādugraṁ bhayam na syādyena no jṣātayo hatāḥ | nihataṁ tripuraṁ dṛṣṭvā bhītāḥ sma tapasāṁ nidhe ||2-82-19 Let us not have any terrible fear from rudra, who killed our kinsmen. O the one with a wealth of penance! We are terrified by seeing the destruction of tripura. pitāmaha uvāca asurā bhavatāvadhyā devānām śaṅkarasya ca | na bādhiṣyatha chedviprānsatpathasthānsatāṁ priyān ||2-82-20 The great grandfather (brahma) said: O demons! you shall not be killed by the deva-s as well as by śaṅkara (shiva), if you do not harm the vipra-s ( those who vibrate, Brahmins), dear to the good people, who stay in the good path. vipropaghātaṁ mohācchetkariṣyatha kathaṣchana | nāśaṁ yāsyatha viprā hi jagataḥ paramā gatiḥ ||2-82-21 If at all you harm the brahmins due to confusion, you shall perish, since Brahmins are the only ultimate refuge of the world. nārāyanādvibhetavyaṁ kurvadbhirbrāhmaṇāhitam | sarvabhūteṣu bhagavānhitaṁ dhatte janārdanaḥ ||2-82-22 Those who do what is disliked by Brahmins shall be afraid of lord nārāyaṇa. Lord janārdana (viṣṇu -- kṛṣṇa) does what is good to all beings. te gatā asurā rājanbrahmaṇā ye visarjitāḥ | ye'pi bhaktā mahādevamasurā dharmacāriṇaḥ ||2-82-23 O king! (vaiśampāyana continued : O janamejaya!) Those demons, thus released (given boon) by brahma left. To those great demons, fixed in the path of dharma, the devotees of the great deva, svayaṁ hi darśanaṁ teṣāṁ dadau tripuranāśanaḥ | śvetaṁ vṛṣabhamāruhya somaḥ sapravaraḥ prabhuḥ | the destroyer of tripura, the lord (shiva), appeared in person, mounted on the white bull, accompanied by umā and all his followers. uvācedaṁ ca bhagavānasurānsa satāṁ gatiḥ ||2-82-24 The refuge of the good people, the lord (shiva) told those demons: vairamutsṛjya daṁbhaṁ ca hiṁsāṁ cāsurasattamāḥ | māmeva cāśritāstasmādvaraṁ sādhu dadāmi vaḥ ||2-82-25 (shiva said) O the best among demons! Abandoning hatred, pride and violence, you depended only on me. Hence I shall give you a good boon. yairdīkṣitāḥ stha munibhiḥ satkriyāparamairdvijaiḥ | saha tairgamyatāṁ svargaḥ prīto'ham vaḥ sukarmaṇā ||2-82-26 I am pleased with your good deeds. Enter the heaven, along with those brahmin sages, doing good deeds, who initiated you (on the good path). iha ye caiva vatsyanti tāpasā brahmavādinaḥ | api kāpitthikā vṛkṣe teṣāṁ loko yathā mama ||2-82-27 Those fixed in the path of brahma, who perform penance living under the tree of kāpittha (Feronia Elephantum) will have a world similar to my world. iha māsāntapakṣāntau yaḥ kariṣyati mānavaḥ | vānaprasthena vidhinā pūjayanmāṁ tapodhanaḥ ||2-82-28 The man who performs worship here on the new moon day or full moon day (see nīlakaṇṭha commentary), the one with a wealth of penance who worships me as per the schedule of vānaprastha, varṣāṇāṁ sa sahasraṁ tu tapasāṁ prāpsyate phalam | kṛtvā virātraṁ vidhivallapsyate chepsitāṁ gatim ||2-82-29 shall receive the results of thousand years of penance. He who performs the penance as per the schedule for three nights (trirātraṁ) will get the refuge as he desires, arkadvīpe nivasato dviguṇaṁ tadbhaviṣyati | na videshe ca bhadraṁ vo varametaddadāmyaham ||2-82-30 equal to double the amount of benefits received by those who reside in the island of sun. You will not get the benefits (of the boon) if you stay in a foreign place. Let there be good to you. śvetavāhananāmānaṁ yashcha māṁ pūjayiṣyati | sarvato bhayachitto'pi gatiṁ sa mama yāsyati ||2-82-31 The one who worships me, with the name as the one having a white bull as vehicle, even with a mind fearing all, will attain my refuge. audumbarānvāṭamūlāndvijānkāpitthikānapi | tathā sṛgālavāṭīyāndharmātmāno dṛḍhavratān ||2-82-32 Those souls fixed in dharma who are observing the vow, living under the tree of audumbara (Ficus Religiosa), under the banyan tree (Ficus Indica) and under the tree of kapittha (Feronia Elephantum) as well as in the den of jackals, munīṁścha brahmavādīyānsaviśeṣeṇa ye narāḥ | pūjayiṣyanti satataṁ te yāsyantīpsitāṁ gatim ||2-82-33 those men who specially worship these sages, who are wise about brahma, will always attain the refuge as desired by them. ityuktvātha mahādevo bhagavāṣchvetavāhanaḥ | taireva sahitaḥ sarve rudralokaṁ jagāma vai ||2-82-34 (vaiśampāyana continued: O janamejaya!) The great deva, the lord (shiva) who has the white bull as his vehicle spoke thus. All of them went to the world of rudra. jambūmārgam gamiṣyāmi jambūmārge vasāmyaham | evaṁ saṅkalpamāno'pi rudraloke mahīyate ||2-82-35 The one who wishes that he will go along the path of jambū and he will live in the path of jambū is also worshipped in the world of rudra. iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe viṣṇuparvaṇi ṣaṭpuravadhe dvyaśītitamo'dhyāyaḥ Thus this is the eighty-second chapter of viṣṇuparva, harivaṁśa, khila of mahābhārata, elimination of ṣaṭpura nīlakaṇṭha commentary dvayādhike'trāśītitame hyadhyāye varṇyate tataḥ | śaṭpurastanikumbhasya vadhopakramavistaraḥ || 1 || atha uttarārdhakathā nirūpyate || · 2-82-1 vaiśampāyaneti || · 2-82-8 sṛgālo'pi vṛṣaviśeṣaḥ sāhacaryāt || · 2-82-11 tena asurāḥ teshu nāṣgīkṛtavānataḥ || · 2-82-13 apachitiṁ rudradroheṇa ānṛṇyam || · 2-82-14 āsūya pratigarjitvā || · 2-82-15 neṣu brahmoktaṁ bhavyabhāvanāḥ dīrghadarśanāḥ bhavamahimābhijnā vā || · 2-82-16 rudrakrodhaṁ rudrakrodhanaṁ ṛte vinā || · 2-82-23 bhavyabhāvanā iti yaduktaṁ tadena spaṣṭayati -- ye api bhaktā iti | apiśabdastuśabdārthe || · 2-82-27 kāpittikā kapithaṁ tasya vṛkṣe || · 2-82-28 māsāntapakṣānte amāpūrṇime || · 2-82-30 na ca videshe vidūradeśe vā nivasataḥ || · 2-82-32 audumbarānityādi tathasthānanivāsisamjnāḥ dharmātmanāḥ || · 2-82-34 tairsuraiḥ || iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivamshe viṣṇuparvaṇi tīkāyāṁ dvayaśītitamo'dhyāyaḥ || Note: 1. verse 26, line 2: svarga is correct 2. verse 28, line 2: I am not able to defend tapodhana. tapodhanāḥ seems appropriate.