“Maheswara said, ‘Yonder, O Sakra, stands the great Vritra, accompanied by a great force. He is the soul of the universe, capable of going everywhere, endued with large powers of illusion, and possessed of great celebrity. This foremost of Asuras is, therefore, incapable of being vanquished by even the three worlds united together. Aided by Yoga, do thou slay him, O chief of the deities. Do not disregard him. For full sixty thousand years, O chief of the celestials, Vritra practised the severest penances for obtaining strength. Brahman gave him the boons he had solicited, viz., the greatness that belongs to Yogins, large powers of illusion, excess of might, and superabundant energy. I impart to thee my energy, O Vasava! The Danava has now lost his coolness. Do thou, therefore, slay him now with thy thunderbolt!’
“Sakra said, ‘Before thy eyes, O foremost of gods, I shall, through thy grace, slay with my thunderbolt this invincible son of Diti.’
“Bhishma continued, ‘When the great Asura or Daitya was overtaken by that fever (born of Mahadeva’s energy), the deities and the Rishis, filled with joy, uttered loud cheers, At the same time drums, and conchs of loud blare, and kettle drums and tabors began to beat and blow by thousands. Suddenly all the Asuras became afflicted with the loss of memory. In a trice, their powers of illusion also disappeared. The Rishis and the deities, ascertaining the foe to be thus possessed, uttered the praises of both Sakra and Isana, and began to urge the former (to make no delay in destroying Vritra). The form that Indra assumed on the eve of the encounter, while seated on his car and while his praises were being hymned by the Rishis, became such that none could look at it without awe.'”[1393]
SECTION CCLXXXII
“Bhishma said, ‘Listen, O king, to me as I tell thee the symptoms that appeared on the body of Vritra when he was overtaken by that fever (born of the energy of Mahadeva). The heroic Asura’s mouth began to emit flames of fire. He became exceedingly pale. His body began to tremble all over. His breath became hard and thick. His hairs stood on end. His memory, O Bharata, issued out of his mouth in the form of a fierce, dreadful, and inauspicious jackal. Burning and blazing meteors fell on his right and left. Vultures and kanakas and cranes, gathering together, uttered fierce cries, as they wheeled over Vritra’s head. Then, in that encounter, Indra, adored by the gods, and armed with the thunderbolt, looked hard at the Daitya as the latter sat on his car. Possessed by that violent fever, the mighty Asura, O monarch, yawned and uttered inhuman cries.[1394] While the Asura was yawning Indra hurled his thunderbolt at him. Endued with exceedingly great energy and resembling the fire that destroys the creation at the end of the Yuga, that thunderbolt overthrew in a trice Vritra of gigantic form.
Loud shouts were once more uttered by the gods on all sides when they beheld Vritra slain, O bull of Bharata’s race! Having slain Vritra, Maghavat, that foe of the Danavas, possessed of great fame, entered heaven with that thunderbolt pervaded by Vishnu. Just then, O thou of Kuru’s race, the sin of Brahmanicide (in her embodied form), fierce and awful and inspiring all the worlds with dread, issued out of the body of the slain Vritra. Of terrible teeth and awful, hideous for ugliness, and dark and tawny, with hair dishevelled, and dreadful eyes, O Bharata, with a garland of skulls round her neck, and looking like an (Atharvan) Incantation (in its embodied form), O bull of Bharata’s race, covered all over with blood, and clad in rags and barks of trees, O thou of righteous soul, she came out of Vritra’s body. Of such dreadful form and mien, O monarch, she sought the wielder of the thunderbolt (for possessing him).
A little while after, O thou of Kuru’s race, the slayer of Vritra, on some purpose connected with the good of the three worlds, was proceeding towards heaven. Beholding Indra of great energy thus proceeding on his mission, she seized the chief of the deities and from that moment stuck to him.[1395] When the sin of Brahmanicide thus stuck to his person and inspired him with terror, Indra entered the fibres of a lotus-stalk and dwelt there for many long years. But the sin of Brahmanicide pursued him closely. Indeed, O son of Kuru, seized by her, Indra became deprived of all his energies. He made great efforts for driving her from him, but all those efforts proved abortive. Seized by her, O bull of Bharata’s race, the chief of the deities at last presented himself before the Grandsire and worshipped him by bending his head low. Understanding that Sakra was possessed by the sin of Brahmanicide,[1396] Brahman began to reflect, O best of the Bharatas, (upon the means of freeing his suppliant). The grandsire at last, O thou of mighty arms, addressed Brahmanicide in a sweet voice as if from the desire of pacifying her, and said, ‘O amiable one, let the chief of the celestials, who is a favourite of mine, be freed from thee. Tell me, what I shall do for thee. What wish of thine shall I accomplish?’
“Brahmanicide said, ‘When the Creator of the three worlds, when the illustrious god adored by the universe, hath been pleased with me, I regard my wishes as already accomplished. Let my residence be now appointed. Desirous of preserving the worlds, this rule had been made by thee. It was thou, O lord, that didst introduced this important ordinance.[1397] As thou hast been gratified with me, O righteous Lord, O puissant Master of all the worlds, I shall certainly leave Sakra! But grant me an abode to dwell in.’
“Bhishma continued, ‘The Grandsire replied unto Brahmanicide, saying, ‘So be it!’ Indeed, the Grandsire discovered means for dispelling Brahmanicide from the person of Indra. The Self-create recollected the high-souled Agni. The latter immediately presented himself to Brahman and said these words, ‘O illustrious and divine Lord, O thou that are without any defect, I have appeared before thee. It behoveth thee to say what I shall have to accomplish.’
“Brahman said, ‘I shall divide this sin of Brahmanicide into several portions. For freeing Sakra from her, do thou take a fourth portion of that sin.’
“Agni said, ‘How shall I be rescued from her, O Brahman? O puissant Lord, do thou appoint the way. I desire to know the means (of my own rescue) in detail, O adored of all the worlds!’
“Brahman said, ‘Unto that man who, overwhelmed by the quality of Tamas, will abstain from offering thee as an oblation, when he beholds thee in thy blazing form, seeds, herbs, and juices, that portion of Brahmanicide which thou wilt take upon thyself shall immediately enter, and leaving thee shall dwell in him. O carrier off oblations, let the fever of thy heart be dispelled.’
“Bhishma said, ‘Thus addressed by the Grandsire the eater of oblations and sacrificial offerings accepted his command. A fourth of that sin then entered his person, O king! The Grandsire then summoned the trees, the herbs, and all kinds of grass to him, and solicited them to take upon themselves a fourth of that sin. Addressed by him, the trees and herbs and grasses became as much agitated as Agni had been at the request, and they replied unto Grandsire, saying, ‘How shall we, O Grandsire of all the worlds, be ourselves rescued from this sin? It behoveth thee not to afflict us that have already been afflicted by the fates. O god, we have always to endure heat and cold and the showers (of the clouds) driven by the winds, in addition to the cutting and the tearing (that we have to suffer at the hands of men). We are willing, O Lord of the three worlds, to take at thy command (a portion of) this sin of Brahmanicide. Let the means, however, of our rescue be pointed out to us.’
“Brahman said, ‘This sin that you shall take shall possess the man who through stupefaction of judgment will cut or tear any of you when Parva days come.’
