Chapter III
On the obstruction of the Sun’s course by the Bindhya Mountain
1-16. Sûta said :– O Risis! Thus advising, the Devarsi, the great Jñanî and Muni going wherever he likes, went to the Brahmaloka. After the Muni had gone, the Bindhya became immersed in great anxiety and becoming always very sorrowful, could not get peace. What shall I do now so as to overthrow Meru? Until I do that, I won’t be able to get the peace of my mind or my health. The highsouled persons always praised me for my enthusiasm and energy. Fie to my energy, honour, fame and family! Fie to my strength and heroism! O Risis! With all these cogitations in his mind, Bindhya came finally to this crooked conclusion :– “Daily the Sun, stars and planets circumambulate round the Sumeru; hence Sumeru is always so arrogant; now if I can resist the Sun’s course in the heavens by my peaks, He will not be able to circumambulate round the Sumeru. If I can do this, certainly I will be able to curb the Sumeru in his pride.” Thus coming to a conclusion, Bindhya raised his arms that were the peaks high up to the heavens and blocking the passage in the Heavens, remained so and passed that night with great uneasiness and difficulty, thinking when the Sun would rise and he would obstruct His passage. At last, when the morning broke out, all the quarters were clear. The Sun, destroying the darkness, rose in Udaya Giri. The sky looked clear with His rays; the lotus, seeing Him, blew out with joy; while the excellent white water-lilies, at the bereavement of the Moon, contracted their leaves and closed as if at the separation of one’s lover, gone to a distant place. The people began to do their own works on the appearance of the day; the worship of the gods, the offerings to the Gods, the Homas and the offerings to the Pitris were set a going on (in the morning, afternoon and evening respectively). The Sun marched on in His course. He divided the day into three parts, morning, midday, and afternoon. First of all he consoled the eastern quarter which seemed like a woman suffering from the bereavement of her lover; then he consoled the south eartern corner; then as He wanted to go quickly towards the south, His horses could not go further. The charioteer Aruna, seeing this, informed the Sun what had happened.
17. Aruna spoke :– “O Sun! The Bindhya has become very jealous of the Sumeru as You circumambulate round the Sumeru Mountain daily. He has risen very high and obstructed your course in the Heavens, hoping that you would circumambulate round him. He is thus vying with the Sumeru Mountain.”
18-26. Sûta said :– O Risis! Hearing the words of Aruna, the charioteer, the Sun began to think thus :– “Oh! The Bindhya is going to obstruct My course! What can a great hero not do, when he is in the wrong path? Oh! My horses’ motions are stopped to-day! The fate is the strongest of all (Because Bindhya is strong today by Daiva, therefore he is doing this). Even when eclipsed by Râhu (the ascending node) I do not stop for a moment even; and now obstructed in My passage, I am waiting here for a long time. The Daiva is powerful; what can I do?” The Sun’s course having been thus obstructed, all from the Gods to the lowest became helpless and could not make out what to do. Chitragupta and others ascertain their time through the Sun’s course; and that Sun is now rendered motionless by the Bindhya mountain! What a great adverse fate is this! When the Sun was thus obstructed by the Bindhya out of his arrogance, the sacrifices to the Devas, the offerings to the Pitris all were stopped; the world was going to rack and ruin. The people that lived on the west and south had their nights prolonged and they remained asleep. The people of the east and the north were scorched by the strong rays of the Sun and some of them died; some of them lost their health and so forth. The whole earth became devoid of S’râddhas and worships and a cry of universal distress arose on all sides. Indra and the other Devas became very anxious and began to think what they should do at that moment.
Here ends the Third Chapter of the Tenth Book on the obstruction of the Sun’s course by the Bindhya Mountain in the Mahâ Purânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
Chapter IV
On the Devas going to Mahâ Deva
1-2. Sûta said :– O Risis! Then Indra and all the other Devas taking Brahmâ along with them and placing Him at the front, went to Mahâdeva and took His refuge. They bowed down to Him and chanted sweet and great hymns to Him, Who holds Moon on His forehead, Deva of the Devas, thus :–
3-5. O Thou, the Leader of the host of Gods! Victory to Thee! O Thou, Whose lotus feet are served by Umâ, Victory to Thee! O Thou, the Giver of the eight Siddhis and Vibhûtis (extraordinary powers) to Thy devotees, Victory to Thee! O Thou, the Background of this Great Theatrical Dance of this Insurmountable Mâyâ! Thou art the Supreme Spirit in Thy True Nature! Thou ridest on Thy vehicle, the Bull, and residest in Kâilâs’a; yet Thou art the Lord of all the Devas. O Thou, Whose ornament is snakes, Who art the Honoured and the Giver of honours to persons! O Thou! the Unborn, yet comprising all forms, O Thou S’ambhu! That findest pleasure in this Thy Own Self! Victory toThee!
6-9. O Thou, the Lord of Thy attendants! O Thou, Giris’a! The Giver of the great powers, praised by Mahâ Visnu! O Thou, That livest in the heart lotus of Visnu, and deeply absorbed in Mahâ Yoga! Obeisance to Thee! O Thou that can’st be known through Yoga, and nothing but the Yoga itself; Thou, the Lord of the Yoga! We bow down to Thee. Thou awardest the fruits of yoga to the Yogins. O Thou, the Lord of the helpless! The Incarnate of the ocean of mercy! The Relief of the diseased and the most powerful! O Thou, whose forms are the three gunas, Sattva, Rajo, Tamas! O Thou! Whose Emblem (carrier) is the Bull (Dharma); Thou art verily the Great Kâla; yet Thou art the Lord of Kâla! Obeisance to Thee! (The Bull represents the Dharma or Speech).
10. Thus praised by the Devas, who take the offerings in sacrifices the Lord of the Devas, whose emblem is Bull, smilingly told the Devas in a deep voice :–
11. O Thou, the excellent Devas! The residents of the Heavens! I am pleased with the praises that you have sung of Me. I will fulfil the desires of you, all the Devas.
12-15. The Devas said :– O Lord of all the Devas! O Giris’a! Thou whose forehead is adorned with Moon! O Thou, the Doer of good to the distressed. O Thou, the Powerful! Dost Thou do good to us. O Thou, the Sinless One! The Bindhya Mountain has become jealous of the Sumeru Mountain, and has risen very high up in the Heavens and he has obstructed the Sun’s course, thereby causing great troubles to all. O Thou, the Doer of good to all! O Îs’âna! Dost Thou check the mountain’s abnormal rise. How can we fix time if the Sun’s course be obstructed! And when there is no knowledge, what is now the time, the sacrifices to the Devas and the offerings to the Pitris are now almost dead and gone. O Deva! Who will now protect us? We see Thee as the Destroyer of the fear of us and of those who are terrified. O Deva! O Lord of Giris’â! Be pleased with us.
16-18. S’rî Bhagavân said :– O Devas! I have no power to curb the Bindhya Mountain. Let us go to the Lord of Ramâ and pay our respects to Him. He is our Lord, fit to be worshipped. He is Gobinda, Bhagavân Visnu, the Cause of all causes. We will go to Him and tell Him all our sorrows. He will remove them.
19. Hearing thus the words of Girîs’a, Indra and the other Devas with Brahmâ placed Mahâdeva at their front and went to the region of Vaikuntha, trembling with fear.
Here ends the Fourth Chapter of the Tenth Book on the going of the Devas to Mahâdeva in the Mahâ Purânam S’rîmad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Mahârsi Veda Vyâsa.
