SECTION X
"Indra said, This whole indestructible universe, O gods, hath been
pervaded by Vritra. There is nothing that can be equal to the task of
opposing him. I was capable of yore, but now I am incapable. What good
betide you, can I do? I believe him to be unapproachable. Powerful and
magnanimous, possessing immeasurable strength in fight, he would be able
to swallow up all the three worlds with the gods, the Asuras, and the
men. Therefore, hear the dwellers of heaven, this is my resolution.
Proceeding to the abode of Vishnu, in company with that high-souled Being
must we consult, and ascertain the means of slaying this ruthless wretch.'
"Salya continued, 'Indra having thus spoken, the gods with that host of
Rishis repaired to the mighty god Vishnu to place themselves under
the-protection of that protector of all. And afflicted with the dread of
Vritra, they said unto the Supreme Lord of the deities. Thou had in
former times covered the three worlds with three steps. Thou hadst
procured the ambrosial food, O Vishnu, and destroyed the Asuras in
battle. Thou didst bind the great Asura Vali and had raised Indra to
the throne of heaven. Thou are the lord of the gods, and this entire
universe is pervaded by thee. Thou are the God, the mighty Deity, saluted
by all persons. Be you the refuge of all the celestials together with
Indra, O best of gods. The whole universe, O slayer of Asuras, hath been
pervaded by Vritra. And Vishnu said, 'I am no doubt bound to do what is
for your good. I shall, therefore, tell you of a contrivance whereby he
may be annihilated. Do the with the Rishis and the Gandharvas repair to
the place where Vritra that bearer of a universal form is and adopt
towards him a conciliatory policy. You will thus succeed in overthrowing
him. By virtue of my power, victory, the gods, will be won by Indra, for,
remaining invisible, I shall enter into his thunderbolt, that best of
weapons. O foremost of gods, depart the with the Rishis and the
Gandharvas. Let there be no delay in effecting a peace between Indra and
Vritra.'
"Salya continued, 'When he had thus spoken, the Rishis and the celestials
placed Indra at their head, and uniting together, went away. Approaching
Indra they behold Vritra glowing and resplendent as if scorching the ten
points, and swallowing all the three worlds, and resembling the sun or
the moon. And then the Rishis, came up to Vritra and spoke to him in
conciliatory terms, saying, 'O you unconquerable being, the whole of
this universe hath been pervaded by your energy. Thou are not able however
to overpower Indra, O best of mighty beings. A long period hath now
elapsed since you began to fight. All beings, with the gods and the
Asuras and men, are suffering from the effects of the fight. Let there be
eternal friendship between you and Indra. Thou shalt be happy and shall
dwell eternally in Indra's regions.' And the mighty Vritra having heard
the words of the saints, bowed his head unto them. And the Asura (thus)
spoke, 'What you, O highly-gifted beings, and also all these Gandharvas
are saying, I have heard. Ye stainless beings, hear also what I have got
to say. How can there be peace between us two, Indra and myself? How can
there be friendship, the gods, between two hostile powers?' The Rishis
said, 'Friendship among righteous persons happens at a single meeting. It
is a desirable object. Thereafter will happen what is fated to be. The
opportunity of forming friendship with a righteous person should not be
sacrificed. Therefore, the friendship of the righteous should be sought.
The friendship of the righteous is (like) excellent wealth, for he that
is wise would give advice when it is needed. The friendship of a good
person is of great use; therefore, a wise person should not desire to
kill a righteous one. Indra is honoured by the righteous, and is the
refuge of magnanimous persons, being veracious and unblamable, and knows
what virtue is, and is possessed of a refined judgment. Let there be
eternal friendship between you and Indra, as described above. In this
way, have faith (in him); let not your heart be differently inclined.'
"Salya said, 'Hearing these words of the great Rishis, the illustrious
Asura spoke to them, 'No doubt, the Rishis, endued with supernatural
powers, are to be respected by me. Let what I am going to say, the gods,
be performed in its entirety; then I shall do everything that (these)
best of Brahmanas have said to me. Ye lords of the Brahmana race, ordain
so that Indra himself or the gods do not kill me by what is dry, or wet;
by stone, or by wood; by a weapon fit for close fight, or by a missile;
in the day time, or at night. On those terms eternal peace with Indra
would be acceptable to me,--Very good! was what the Rishis told him, O
best of Bharata race.' Thus peace having been concluded, Vritra was very
much pleased. And Indra also became pleased though constantly occupied
with the thought of killing Vritra. And the chief of the deities passed
his time in search of a loophole, uneasy (in mind). And on a certain day
when it was evening and the hour awful, Indra caught sight of the mighty
Asura on the coast of the sea. And he bethought himself of the boon that
was granted to the illustrious Asura, saying, 'This is the awful evening
time; it is neither day, nor night; and this Vritra, my enemy, who hath
stripped me of my all, must undoubtedly be killed by me. It I do not kill
Vritra, this great and mighty Asura of gigantic frame, even by deceit, it
will not go well with me.' And as Indra thought of all this, bearing
Vishnu in mind he beheld at that instant in the sea a mass of froth as
large as a hill. And he said, 'This is neither dry, nor wet, nor is it a
weapon; let me hurl it at Vritra. Without doubt, he will die
immediately.' And he threw at Vritra that mass of froth blended with the
thunderbolt. And Vishnu, having entered within that froth, put an end to
the life of Vritra. And when Vritra was killed, the cardinal points were
free from gloom; and there also blew a pleasant breeze; and all beings
were much pleased. And the deities with the Gandharvas and Yakshas and
Rakshasas, with the great snakes and saints, glorified the mighty Indra
with various laudatory hymns. And saluted by all beings, Indra spoke
words of encouragement to all. And his heart was glad as also that of
everyone of the gods for having killed the foe. And knowing the nature of
virtue, he worshipped Vishnu, the most praiseworthy of all objects in the
world. Now when the mighty Vritra, terrible to the gods, was killed,
Indra became overpowered by falsehood, and he became exceedingly sad; and
he was also overpowered by the sin of Brahmanicide on account of having
killed the three-headed son of Twashtri. And he betook himself to the
confines of the worlds, and became bereft of his senses and
consciousness. And overpowered by his own sins, he could not be
recognised. And he lay concealed in water, just like a writhing snake.
And when the lord of celestials, oppressed with the dread of
Brahmanicide, had vanished from sight, the earth looked as if a havoc had
passed over it. And it became treeless, and its woods withered; and the
course of rivers was interrupted; and the reservoirs lost all their
water; and there was distress among animals on account of cessation of
rains. And the deities and all the great Rishis were in exceeding fear;
and the world had no king, and was overtaken by disasters. Then the
deities and the divine saints in heaven, separated from the chief of the
gods, became terrified, and wondered who was to be their king. And nobody
had any inclination to act as the king of the gods.'
--------------------END OF PARVA 5 : UPA-PARVA 10 ---------------------
