मोक्षधर्म पर्व — वृत्रको वध

Bhishma said-Hear me, O king, I describe the symptoms that appeared on the body of Vritra when he was possessed by that fever.

The heroic Asura's mouth began to send out flames of fire. He became greatly pale. His body began to tremble all over. His breath became hard.

His hairs stood erect. His breath was very hard. His memory, O Bharata, went out of his mouth in the shape of a dreadful, and inauspicious jackal. Burning and blazing meteors dropped on his right and left.

Vultures, Kankas, and cranes yelled fierce cries, as they moved over Vritra's head.

Then, in that battle, Indra, worshipped of the gods, and armed with the thunderbolt, looked hard at the demon as the latter sat on his car.

Possessed by that dreadful fever, the powerful Asura, O king, yawned and uttered inhuman cries.

While the Asura was yawning, Indra discharged his thunderbolt at him. Endued with great enrgy and resembling the fire that destroys the creation at the end of the cycle, that thunderbolt overthrew in a moment Vritra of gigantic form.

The gods on all sides cried aloud when they saw Vritra killed, O foremost of Bharata's race.

Having killed Vritra, Mghavat, that enemy of the Danavas, of great entered heaven with that thunderbolt pervaded by Vishnu,

Just then, O you of Kuru's family, the sin of Brahmanicide, fierce and dreadful and striking all the worlds with fear, came out of the person of the killed Vritra.

Of terrible teeth and dreadful countenance, hideous for ugliness, and dark and tawny, with hair dishevelled, and dreadful eyes, O Bharata, with a garland of skulls round her neck, and loO king like Incantation incarnate, O foremost of Bharatas, bathed in blood, and clad in rags and barks of trees, O you of righteous soul, she came out of Vritra's body. Of such dreadful form and countenance, O king, she sought the holder of the thunderbolt.

A little while after, O you of Kuru's race, the killer of Vritra, for the behoof of the three worlds, was proceeding towards heaven.

Seeing Indra of great energy thus proceeding on his mission, she caught the king of the gods and from that moment stuck to him.

When the sin of Brahmanicide thus stuck to his body and filled him with terror, Indra entered the fibres of a lotus-stalk and lived there for many years.

But the sin of Brahmanicide followed him closely. Indeed, O son of Kuru, seized by her, Indra became shorn of all his energies.

He tried much for driving her from him, but all those attempts proved useless,

Seized by her, O foremost of Bharata's race, the king of the gods at last presented himself before the Grandfather and adored him by bending low his head.

Knowing that Indra was possessed by the sin of Brahmanicide, Brahman began to think, 0 best of the Bharatas, (of the measures for freeing him).

The Grandfather at last, O you of great arms, addressed Brahmanicide in sweet words as if from the desire of pacifying her, and said.-0 amiable one, let the king of the gods, who is a favourite of mine, be freed from you. Tell me, what shall I do for you? What wish of yours shall I satisfy?

Brahmanicide said When the Creator of the three worlds, when the illustrious god worshipped of the universe, has been pleased with me, I consider my wishes as already fulfilled. Let my residence be now fixed.

Desirous of preserving the worlds, this rule has been laid down by you. It was you, O lord, who had introduced this important rule.

As you have been pleased with me, O righteous Lord, O powerful Master of all the worlds, I shall surely leave Shakra! But grant me an abode to live in.

Bhishma said. The Grandfather replied to Brahmanicide, saying,-So be it! Indeed, the Grandfather found out means for removing Brahmanicide from the body of Indra.

The Self-sprung thought of the great Agni. The latter immediately appeared before Brahman and said:-O illustrious and divine Lord, O defeatless one, I have appeared before you. You should say what I shall have to do.

Bhishma said I shall divide this sin of Brahmanicide into several parts. For freeing Shakra from her, do you take a fourth portion of that sin.

How shall I be saved from her, O Brahman? O powerful Lord, do you appoint the way. I wish to know the means fully, O worshipped of all the worlds.

That portion of Brahmanicide which you will take upon yourself shall immediately enter into, and leaving you shall live in, that man who, overwhelmed by the quality of darkness, will abstain from offering your blazing form, seeds, herbs, and juices. O carrier of oblations, let the fever of your heart be dispelled.

Bhishma said Thus addressed by the Grandfather, the eater of oblations and sacrificial offerings accepted his order. A fourth of that sin then entered his body, O king.

The Grandfather then summoned the tree, the herbs, and all sorts of grass to him, and begged them to take upon themselves a fourth of that sin.

Addressed by him, the trees and herbs and grasses became as much moved as Agni had been at the command and they replied to the Grandfather, saying, How shall we, O grandfather of all the worlds, be ourselves saved from this sin? You should not afflict us that have already been assailed by the fates.

O god, we have always to bear heat and cold and the showers driven by the winds, besides the cutting and tearing.

We are willing, O lord of the three worlds, to take at your order this sin of Brahmancide. May you point out the means of our rescue.

This sin that you shall take, shall assail the man who through stupefaction of judgement will cut or tear any of you on a full-moon day.

Thus addressed by the great Brahman, the trees, herbs and grasses worshipped the Creator and then went away without waiting there.

The Grandfather of all the worlds then sent for the Apsaras and pleasing them with sweet words, O Bharata, said,-This foremost of ladies, viz., Brahmanicide, has come out of Indra's body. Begged by me, do you take a fourth part of her into your own body.

The Apsaras said O Lord of all the gods, at your command We are fully willing to take a portion of this sin. But, O Grandfather our compact is that you do think of the means by which we ourselves may be rescued from this.

Brahman said Let the fever of your hearts be removed. The portion of this sin that you will take upon yourselves shall leave you and immediately possess that men who will seek cohabitation with women in their menses.

Bhishma said Thus addressed by the Grandfather, O foremost of Bharata's race, the various clans of the Apsaras, with delighted hearts repaired to their respective places and began to sport in joy.

The illustrious Creator of the three worlds, gifted with great ascetic merit, then thought of the Waters which immediately came to him.

Arrived before Brahman of great energy, thc Waters bowed to him and said:-We have come before you, O chastiser of enemies, at your behest! O powerful Master of all the worlds, tell us what we are to do.

Brahman said-This dreadful sin has possessed Indra on account of his having killed Vritra. Take you a fourth part of Brahmanicide.

The Waters said Let it be as you order, O master of all the worlds. You should, however, O powerful Lord of ours, concert the means by which we may be rescued from this.

You are the Lord of all the gods, and the supreme refuge of the universe. Who else is there whom we may worship so that he may save us from distress.

Brahman said This one shall forthwith go to, and thenceforth live in, that man who stupefied by his understanding and regarding you lightly will throw into you phlegm and urine and excreta. It is this, verily true do I say to you, that your rescue shall be brought about.

Bhishma said Then, leaving the king of the deities, the sin of Brahmanicide, O Yudhishthira, proceeded to the abodes that were settled for her at the Grandfather's behest.

It was thus, O king, that Indra had become attacked by that dreadful sin. With the Grandfather's permission Indra then resolved to celebrate a Horse-sacrifice.

O king! It is listen to that Indra have got relieved from the sin of Brahmanicide by celebrating a Horse-sacrifice.

Regaining his prosperity and killing thousands of enemies, that Vasava acquired great joy, O lord of Earth.

From the blood of Vritra, O son of Pritha, were born high-crested cocks. Therefore, those fowls are unclean (as food) for the twice-born ones, and those ascetics that have undergone the rite of initiation.

Under all circumstances, O king, do you encompass what is agreeable to the twice-born, for these, O king, are known as gods on Earth.

It was thus, O Kuru chief, that the powerful Asura Vritra was killed by Shakra of great energy by the help of subtle intelligence and through the application of means. son

You will, also, O of Kunti, unvanquished on Earth, become another Indra and the killer of all your enemies.

Those men who, on every Parva day, will recite this sacred narrative of Vritra in the midst of Brahmanas shall never be sullied by any sin.

I have now recited to you one of the greatest and most wonderful feats of Indra about Vritra, What else do you wish to hear."