Chapter 6 - Vishnu goes to the defence of the Gods

“Thus afflicted, the Gods and Rishis, those treasuries of asceticism, terror-stricken, sought refuge with the God of Gods, Maheshwara, He Who creates and destroys the universe, the Inner Ruler, Who is unmanifest, the substratum of the worlds, the supreme Guru, adored by all.

And the Gods, coming to that enemy of Kama [i.e., God of Love], the Destroyer of Tripura, addressed him in a voice shaking with fear, and said:—

“‘O Bhagavat, the sons of Sukesha, wrought up with pride on account of the boons they have received from the Grandsire of the World, those scourgers of their foes, are oppressing the children of the Lord of Creatures. Our dwellings, which should be our refuge, no longer afford us shelter; having driven out the Gods from heaven, they themselves assume the r61e of Gods. “I am Vishnu “I am Rudra “I am Brahma”. “I am the King of the Gods”, “I am Yama “I am Varuna”, “I am the Moon”, “Verily, I am the Sun”, thus do Mali, Sumali and Malyavan speak, those Rakshasas, formidable in combat, who harass us as also those who precede them. We are terrified, O Lord, deliver us from fear; do you assume a terrible form and subdue those thorns in the side of the Gods.’

“On this prayer from the united Gods being addressed to Kapardin [i.e., Wearer of a kaparda—a particular knot of hair], of reddish hue, he, in deference to Sukesha answered the Celestial Host, saying:—

“‘Nay, I shall not destroy these Rakshasas; I am not able to slay them, O You Gods, but I shall unfold to you how you may rid yourselves of them! This step having been taken, O Maharishis, go and seek refuge with the Lord Vishnu who will himself destroy them!’

“Thereupon, offering obeisance to Maheshwara, with jubilant cries they presented themselves before Vishnu, though filled with terror on account of those rangers of the night.

“Bowing down to the God who bears the conch and discus, they paid him great homage and, in trembling tones, denounced the sons of Sukesha, saying:—

“‘O Lord, by virtue of the boons they have received, the three sons of Sukesha, like unto three fires, penetrated into our abode and took possession of it. Lanka is the name of that inaccessible citadel built on the summit of the Mount Trikuta; it is there that these rangers of the night, our persecutors, have established themselves. Come to our aid and destroy them, O Slayer of Madhu! We take refuge in You, be our deliverer, O Lord of the Gods! Do You offer up their lotus-like faces, severed by Your discus, to Yama. In time of peril, none but You canst give us shelter, O Lord. As the sun dispels the mist, so do You dispel our terror in regard to these Rakshasas, who, with their adherents take delight in warfare!’

“When the Gods had spoken thus, the Lord of Lords, Janar-dana, who strikes terror in the hearts of his foes, re-assured them, saying:—

“‘The Rakshasa Sukesha, who, on account of the boons received from Ishana, is intoxicated with pride, is known to me and his sons also, the eldest of whom is Malyavan. Those Rakshasas, the vilest of all, exceed all limits and I shall exterminate them in my wrath, O You Gods, have no fear!’

“Hearing the words of the mighty Janardana, Vishnu, each of the Gods returned to his abode, chanting His praises.

“Learning of the intervention of the Gods, that ranger of the night Malyavan, said to his two valiant brothers:—

“‘The Immortals and the Rishis have unitedly sought out Shankara in order to bring about our destruction and addressed Him thus:—

“O Lord, the offspring of Sukesha, intoxicated with pride, by the power they received from those boons torment us without respite. Harassed by these Rakshasas, it is impossible for us, O Prajapati, to remain in our retreats for fear of those wicked ones; do You defend us and subdue them, O Three-eyed God, and, with Your word of power ‘Hum’, burn them up, O Supreme Consumer.

“‘Thus did the Gods speak and the Slayer of Andaka,shaking his head and hands, answered them saying:—

“‘It is impossible for me to destroy the celestial children of Sukesha in the open field but I will tell you the means whereby they may be slain. Let the God who bears the Mace and Discus in His hands, who is clad in yellow, Janardana, Hari, Narayana, the Lord of Shri, be your refuge!’

“‘Having received this counsel from Hara and taken leave of that enemy of Kama, the Gods went to Narayana’s abode and related all to Him. Then Narayana said to the Gods, who had Indra at their head:—

“‘I shall slay all your enemies, O You Gods, fear not!’

“‘O Foremost of the Rakshasas, Hari promised those Gods, who were filled with terror, that He would destroy us. Therefore do what you think fit. Narayana has slain Hiranyakashipu and other foes of the Gods; Namuchi, Kalanemi, Samrhada that foremost of warriors, and Radheya,Bahumayin,the virtuous Lokapala and Yamala, Arjuna, Hardikya, Shumbha, Nishumbha, all those Asuras and Danavas, full of courage and strength, said to be invincible in the field, who had offered hundreds of sacrifices, were versed in magic and skilled in the use of weapons and who were all a source of terror to their foes. Knowing this, it behoves us to unite in order to slay the wicked Narayana who wishes to exterminate us.’

“Hearing Malyavan, their elder brother speak thus, Sumali and Mali answered him as the Twin Ashvins address Vasava, saying:—

“‘We have studied the Veda, made charitable gifts, offered sacrifices, safe-guarded our sovereignty, obtained the boon of longevity and freedom from disease and have established righteousness. Plunging our weapons into the bottomless ocean of the Gods, we have explored it; we have overcome our enemies though their valour was unequalled; nay, we have nothing to fear from Mrityu, Narayana, Rudra, Shakra and Yama, all hesitate to oppose us! Since we have come together, let us assist each other mutually and exterminate the Gods, whose perfidy has been revealed to us.’

“Having taken counsel together thus, those huge-bodied and valiant Nairritas hurled themselves into the fray, like unto Jambha and Vritra of yore.

“O Rama, thus resolved, summoning up all their strength, they set out to fight, mounted on their chariots, elephants and horses that resembled elephants, mules, bulls, buffalo, porpoises, serpents, whales, turtle, fish, and birds resembling Garuda, also on lions, tigers, boars, deer and Yaks.

“Intoxicated with pride, all those Rakshasas marched out of Lanka, and those enemies of the Gods determined to lay siege to Devaloka. Perceiving the destruction of Lanka to be at hand, all the beings who inhabited it, recognizing the peril in which they stood, became wholly dispirited, whilst the Rakshasas, borne in marvellous chariots hastened towards Devaloka in hundreds and thousands, but the Gods avoided the path they had taken.

“Thereupon, at Kala’s command, terrible portents appeared on earth and in the skies, foretelling the death of the Rakshasa leaders. From the clouds a torrent of hot blood and bones fell, the seas over-passed their bornes and the mountains shook, jackals of formidable aspect howled lugubriously, emitting hoarse laughter that resembled the rumble of clouds. Groups of phantoms passed by in succession, and flocks of vultures, vomiting flames, hovered like fate over the Chief of the Rakshasas. Red-footed pigeons and crows fled in all directions, ravens croaked and two footed cats were seen.

“Disregarding these omens, the Rakshasas, proud of their strength, continued to advance without halting, caught in the noose of death. Malyavan, Sumali and Mali of immense power, preceded the Rakshasas like unto flaming braziers; Malyavan, who resembled Mount Malyavan, was escorted by all the rangers of the night, as the Gods by Dhatar. That army of the foremost of the Rakshasas, thundering like massed clouds, eager for victory, advanced towards Devaloka under Mali’s leadership

“Then the Lord Narayana, learning thereof from a messenger of the Gods, resolved to enter into combat with them. Making ready His arms and quivers, He mounted Vainateya and, having put on His celestial armour which shone like a thousand suns, He strapped on two dazzling quivers full of arrows. Buckling on His stainless sword, that God, Whose eyes resembled lotuses, furnished with His conch, discus, mace, sword, excellent weapons and His bow,¹ fully equipped, mounted the son of Vinata,² who was as high as a hill, and thereafter the Lord set out in all haste to slay the Rakshasas.

“On the back of Suparna, the dark-hued Hari, clad in yellow, resembled a cloud transpierced with lightning on the peak of a golden mountain. As He left, with His discus, sword, bow, spear and His conch in His hands, Siddhas, Devarishis, Great Serpents, Gandharvas and Yakshas hymned the praises of the renowned enemy of the Asura Host.

“With the blast of His wings, Suparna struck at the Host of the Rakshasas, bringing down their standards and dispersing their weapons so that they reeled like the dark summit of a mountain whose crags are crumbling away.

“With their excellent shafts however, soiled with flesh and blood, like unto the fires of doom at the end of the world cycle, which they loosed in thousands, those rangers of the night covered and pierced Madhava.