36. Being cursed by the brahmanas, the same two associates took birth again as Kumbhakarna and the ten-headed Ravana. These two Raksasas were killed by Lord Ramacandra’s extraordinary power.
37. Pierced by the arrows of Lord Ramacandra, both Kumbhakarna and Ravana lay on the ground and left their bodies, fully absorbed in thought of the Lord, just as they had in their previous births as Hiranyaksa and Hiranyakasipu.
38. They both took birth again in human society as Sisupala and Dantavakra and continued in the same enmity toward the Lord. It is they who merged into the body of the Lord in your presence.
39. Not only Sisupala and Dantavakra but also many, many other kings who acted as enemies of Krishna attained salvation at the time of death. Because they thought of the Lord, they received spiritual bodies and forms the same as His, just as worms captured by a black drone obtain the same type of body as the drone.
40. By devotional service, pure devotees who incessantly think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead receive bodies similar to His. This is known as sarupya-mukti. Although Sisupala, Dantavakra and other kings thought of Krishna as an enemy, they also achieved the same result.
41. Everything you asked me about how Sisupala and others attained salvation although they were inimical has now been explained to you by me.
42. In this narration about Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, various expansions or incarnations of the Lord have been described, and the killing of the two demons Hiranyaksa and Hiranyakasipu has also been described.
43-44. This narration describes the characteristics of the great and exalted devotee Prahlada Maharaja, his staunch devotional service, his perfect knowledge, and his perfect detachment from material contamination. It also describes the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the cause of creation, maintenance and annihilation. Prahlada Maharaja, in his prayers, has described the transcendental qualities of the Lord and has also described how the various abodes of the demigods and demons, regardless of how materially opulent, are destroyed by the mere direction of the Lord.
45. The principles of religion by which one can actually understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead are called bhagavata-dharma. In this narration, therefore, which deals with these principles, actual transcendence is properly described.
46. One who hears and chants this narration about the omnipotence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, is certainly liberated from material bondage without fail.
47. Prahlada Maharaja was the best among exalted devotees. Anyone who with great attention hears this narration concerning the activities of Prahlada Maharaja, the killing of Hiranyakasipu, and the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nrsimhadeva, surely reaches the spiritual world, where there is no anxiety.
48. Narada Muni continued: My dear Maharaja Yudhisthira, all of you [the Pandavas] are extremely fortunate, for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, lives in your palace just like a human being. Great saintly persons know this very well, and therefore they constantly visit this house.
49. The impersonal Brahman is Krishna Himself because Krishna is the source of the impersonal Brahman. He is the origin of the transcendental bliss sought by great saintly persons, yet He, the Supreme Person, is your most dear friend and constant well-wisher and is intimately related to you as the son of your maternal uncle. Indeed, He is always like your body and soul. He is worshipable, yet He acts as your servant and sometimes as your spiritual master.
50. Exalted persons like Lord Siva and Lord Brahma could not properly describe the truth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. May the Lord, who is always worshiped as the protector of all devotees by great saints who observe vows of silence, meditation, devotional service and renunciation, be pleased with us.
51. My dear King Yudhisthira, long, long ago in history, a demon known as Maya Danava, who was very expert in technical knowledge, reduced the reputation of Lord Siva. In that situation, Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, saved Lord Siva.
52. Maharaja Yudhisthira said: For what reason did the demon Maya Danava vanquish Lord Siva’s reputation? How did Lord Krishna save Lord Siva and expand his reputation again? Kindly describe these incidents.
53. Narada Muni said: When the demigods, who are always powerful by the mercy of Lord Krishna, fought with the asuras, the asuras were defeated, and therefore they took shelter of Maya Danava, the greatest of the demons.
54-55. Maya Danava, the great leader of the demons, prepared three invisible residences and gave them to the demons. These dwellings resembled airplanes made of gold, silver and iron, and they contained uncommon paraphernalia. My dear King Yudhisthira, because of these three dwellings the commanders of the demons remained invisible to the demigods. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the demons, remembering their former enmity, began to vanquish the three worlds—the upper, middle and lower planetary systems.
56. Thereafter, when the demons had begun to destroy the higher planetary systems, the rulers of those planets went to Lord Siva, fully surrendered unto him and said: Dear Lord, we demigods living in the three worlds are about to be vanquished. We are your followers. Kindly save us.
57. The most powerful and able Lord Siva reassured them and said, “Do not be afraid.” He then fixed his arrows to his bow and released them toward the three residences occupied by the demons.
58. The arrows released by Lord Siva appeared like fiery beams emanating from the sun globe and covered the three residential airplanes, which could then no longer be seen.
59. Attacked by Lord Siva’s golden arrows, all the demoniac inhabitants of those three dwellings lost their lives and fell down. Then the great mystic Maya Danava dropped the demons into a nectarean well that he had created.
60. When the dead bodies of the demons came in touch with the nectar, their bodies became invincible to thunderbolts. Endowed with great strength, they got up like lightning penetrating clouds.
61. Seeing Lord Siva very much aggrieved and disappointed, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Visnu, considered how to stop this nuisance created by Maya Danava.
62. Then Lord Brahma became a calf and Lord Visnu a cow, and at noon they entered the residences and drank all the nectar in the well.
63. The demons could see the calf and cow, but because of the illusion created by the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the demons could not forbid them. The great mystic Maya Danava became aware that the calf and cow were drinking the nectar, and he could understand this to be the unseen power of providence. Thus he spoke to the demons, who were grievously lamenting.
64. Maya Danava said: What has been destined by the Supreme Lord for oneself, for others, or for both oneself and others cannot be undone anywhere or by anyone, whether one be a demigod, a demon, a human being or anyone else.
65-66. Narada Muni continued: Thereafter, Lord Krishna, by His own personal potency, consisting of religion, knowledge, renunciation, opulence, austerity, education and activities, equipped Lord Siva with all the necessary paraphernalia, such as a chariot, a charioteer, a flag, horses, elephants, a bow, a shield and arrows. When Lord Siva was fully equipped in this way, he sat down on the chariot with his arrows and bow to fight with the demons.
67. My dear King Yudhisthira, the most powerful Lord Siva joined the arrows to his bow, and at noon he set fire to all three residences of the demons and thus destroyed them.
68. Seated in their airplanes in the sky, the inhabitants of the higher planetary systems beat many kettledrums. The demigods, saints, Pitas, Siddhas and various great personalities showered flowers on the head of Lord Siva, wishing him all victory, and the Apsaras began to chant and dance with great pleasure.
69. O King Yudhisthira, thus Lord Siva is known as Tripurari, the annihilator of the three dwellings of the demons, because he burnt these dwellings to ashes. Being worshiped by the demigods, headed by Lord Brahma, Lord Siva returned to his own abode.
70. The Lord, Sri Krishna, appeared as a human being, yet He performed many uncommon and wonderful pastimes by His own potency. How can I say more about His activities than what has already been said by great saintly persons? Everyone can be purified by His activities, simply by hearing about them from the right source.
