Canto 7 - Chapter 2: Hiranyakasipu rids his mother (Diti) of her grief (caused by the death of his younger brother, Hiranyaksa).

Discourse II

Hiraṇyakaśipu rids his mother (Diti) of her grief (caused by the death of his younger brother, Hiraṇyākṣa)

Nārada replied : On his (younger) brother (Hiraṇyākṣa) having been slain thus (through seeming partiality towards the gods) by Śrī Hari, who had assumed the form of a boar, Hiraṇyakaśipu (the elder brother), O king (Yudhiṣṭhira), felt agonized with anger and grief. (1)
Whirling with rage, he closely bit his lips; nay, with his eyes burning through anger he gazed intently at the sky, which looked misty (due to the smoke issuing from those fiery eyes as it were) and spoke thus. (2)
With a frowning aspect, terrible to look at because of his fearful teeth and fierce glances, and raising up his trident, he spoke as follows to the Dānavas (assembled) in his court. (3)
O Dānavas and Daityas, hullo Dwimūrdhā (lit., a two-headed monster), Tryakṣa (a demon with three eyes), Śambara, Śatabāhu (a demon with a hundred arms), Hayagriva (one endowed with a horse's head), Namuci, Pāka, Ilwala, Vipracitti, Pulomā, Śakuna and others, listen all to my word and then let it to be carried out at once; there should be no delay. (4-5)
My beloved and devoted (younger) brother (Hiraṇyākṣa) has been caused by the petty enemies (the gods) to be slain at the hands of Hari (the god Viṣṇu), who, though impartial, has been won over to their side through services (rendered to Him). (6)
With the copious blood of that god—who, though all effulgence (in essence), assumed the semblance of a wild animal (boar) through a deceptive trick and has relinquished his (very) nature (impartial character), nay, who follows anyone who adores him and is (therefore) fickle-minded as a child—when his head has been severed by my spear, I shall gratify (the spirit of) my blood-thirsty brother and be (thus) relieved of my agony. (7-8)
When that wily adversary* (in the person of Viṣṇu) has been disposed of, the gods (the denizens of heaven), whose (very) life is Viṣṇu, will wither away like the boughs on a tree whose roots have been cut off. (9)
Meanwhile resort you to the earth, made prosperous by the Brāhmaṇas (the sacerdotal class) and the Kṣatriyas (the ruling and warrior class) and exterminate those engaged in austerities, sacrificial performances and the study of the Vedas, observing sacred vows and practising charity. (10)
God Viṣṇu depends for his existence on the rituals of the twice-born, being Yajña (worship) personified and an embodiment of righteousness. He is the ultimate resort of the gods, the Ṛṣis (seers), the manes and other living beings and the final goal of righteousness. (11)
Repair to each such territory where there are Brāhmaṇas (lit., the twice-born), cows, the (four) Varṇas (grades of society) and (four) Āśramas (stages in life) and rituals. Set fire to them and cut them (their trees etc.) to pieces. (12)

Reverently bowing to the aforementioned command of their lord (Hiraṇyakaśipu), the demons (who were fond of bloodshed) began to oppress the people accordingly. (13)
They burnt towns and villages, cow-pens and gardens, corn-fields and parks, hermitages and mines, farmers' hamlets, villages at the foot of mountains and stations of herdsmen and (even) cities. (14)
Some (of them) demolished with spades bridges, defensive walls and city-gates; while others, with axes in their hands, cut down (fruit-bearing) trees which served as a means of livelihood (to the people). And (still) others burnt down the dwellings of the people with flaming brands. (15)
When the people were thus oppressed again and again by the followers of Hiraṇyakaśipu (the lord of the Daityas), the gods deserted heaven and wandered over the earth unperceived (by the demons). (16)

Having offered water and other oblations to (the spirit of) his deceased (younger) brother (Hiraṇyākṣa), Hiraṇyakaśipu, who felt (very) miserable (himself), comforted his brother's sons—Śakuni, Śambara, Dhrṣṭa, Bhūtasantāpana, Vṛka, Kālanābha, Mahānābha, Hariśmaśru and Utkaca. (17-18)
Knowing as he did what was appropriate to a particular time and place, he addressed the following to (them as also to) their mother (and his own sister-in-law), Ruṣābhānu, as well as to Diti, his (own) mother, in soft words, O lord of men ! (19)

• The expression 'कृते' (which has been split up in the above translation as 'कृते' - 'कृते') may also be taken as a compound word and interpreted as 'कृते' (a fellow whose actions are of a puzzling nature).

Hiranyakaśipu said : Mother, O mother, sister-in-law and sons ! You ought not to lament the hero (Hiranyākṣa). The death of the brave in front of their enemy is praiseworthy and (as such) coveted (by them). (20)
The dwelling together in this world of created beings (first) collected at one place (under one roof) and (then) separated by Providence on account of their (past) actions, is (just) like the gathering of men in a shed (on the roadside) containing a reservoir of water (for the wayfarers), O virtuous mother ! (21)
The soul is eternal (deathless) free from decay, taintless, omnipresent, all-knowing and transcendent. It assumes bodies (of various kinds), procuring the (numerous) objects of senses by its own Māyā (ignorance). (22)
(Just) as due to (proximity to) a running stream the trees (standing motionless on its edge and reflected in it) appear as though moving and (even) as due to one's rotating eyes the earth (around) appears to revolve, so when the mind is agitated by the (three) Guṇas (modes of Prakṛti), the soul, which is really unagitated (free from the morbid feelings of grief etc.), acquires homogeneity indeed with the mind, O blessed one, so that, though (really) detached from body etc., it appears as if endowed with a body and so on. (23-24)
To identify with the body the self, which has no connection (whatsoever) with a body—this is the perversion of the soul. (And) it is from such identification that there ensues its union with agreeable objects and separation from disagreeable ones and vice versa, (egoistic) action and (consequent) transition from one embodied state to another, birth and death, grief of various kinds, mentioned in the scriptures, want of discrimination between matter and spirit and so on, anxiety and forgetting the aforementioned distinction (even though having known it once). (25-26)
On this subject the wise narrate the following ancient legend too in the form of a dialogue between Yama (the god of retribution) and the relations of a deceased person. (Please) listen to it. (27)

In the Uśīnara territory there lived an illustrious king Suyajña by name. He was killed by the enemies in a battle and his kith and kin sat around him even as he lay on the field of battle, stained with blood and biting his lips in anger, his jewelled armour smashed, his ornaments and wreaths of flowers fallen off (from his person), his heart pierced through with an arrow, his hair thrown about (in disorder), his eyes sunk deep, his lotus face covered with dust and his weapons and arms cut into pieces. (28—30)

Closely observing their husband, the lord of the Uśinaras, reduced to such a (pitiable) plight by Providence, the queens felt (much) distressed. Violently beating their breast with their hands again and again and exclaiming "We are lost. O lord!" they dropped down beside his feet. (31)
Weeping loudly and bathing the lotus-feet of their beloved husband with their tears, tinted reddish with the saffron paste on their breasts, and causing grief in the heart of men, the ladies wailed piteously, their locks and jewels loosened and displaced : (32)
"Alas, by the pitiless Providence, O lord, you have been reduced to a state (of existence) beyond the range of our sight ! Once the life-giver (support) of the Uśinaras (the inhabitants of this land), you have now been made by Him the augmenter of their woes. (33)
How can we, O ruler of the earth, live without you, our dearest friend, who were disposed to appreciate whatever was done to you (by way of service)? (Therefore,) permit us, servants of your feet, O brave one, to follow you to the place where you will go." (34)
While they lamented as aforesaid, clutching their dead husband and unwilling to have him carried out for cremation, the sun actually sank below the horizon. (35)
On hearing the lament of the relations of the deceased monarch, it is said, Yama (the god or retribution) himself appeared there in the form of a child and addressed them (as follows). (36)

Yama said : Oh the infatuation of these, my superiors in age, who clearly perceive the course of the world (the inevitability of death for everyone that is born) ! Though themselves alike in nature (equally mortal), they bewail in vain the man who has returned to the source (the Unmanifest) whence he came ! (37)
Ah, most blessed are we that have no anxiety (whatsoever) and who are not being devoured by wolves and other carnivorous animals, though weak and forsaken here (in this world full of woes) by our parents (who were recognized as responsible for our protection) ! For, He alone is the protector (everywhere), who protects us in the (mother's) womb (where there is nobody to look after us excepting the Lord). (38)
The wise, O ladies, call the animate and inanimate creation a (mere) plaything in the hands of that (very) Lord who creates it by (sheer) will, who alone, all-powerful as He is, protects it and who, though imperishable (Himself) destroys it. He (alone) is competent to maintain and dissolve it. (39)
A thing protected by destiny remains intact even though dropped on the road; while that which is consigned to destruction by (an evil) fate perishes even though staying at home. A forlorn creature watched over by Providence survives (even) in the forest : while he whose doom is decreed by Providence will not survive though guarded at home. (40)

The bodies (of living beings) of every description come into being and perish at the appointed time due to a variety of Karmas determining their species. The spirit, however, which is altogether different (from the body), is not bound by the laws relating to the body even though dwelling in it. (41)
This body is born (as something identical with the spirit) due to the ignorance of the Jiva, though (as a matter of fact) it is different (from the Jiva) because it is perceived (as such) and is material (too) as a house. Like an object made up of aqueous, earthy or fiery atoms, the body, which is made up of the atoms of water, earth and fire (put together) gets transformed in course of time and (ultimately) perishes. (42)
(Just) as fire (though) existing in pieces of wood is observed to be distinct (from them as having the capacity to burn and illuminate things), nay, (even) as the air, though existing (everywhere) in the body, appears as existing separately (in the different parts of the body such as the mouth and nostrils), and (just) as ether, though pervading everywhere, does not cling to any substance, so the spirit, (which is) the foundation of all products of matter (such as the body and the senses) is distinct (from them). (43)

Indeed, O fools, here lies (the body called) Suyajña, that you lament. He (however) who was the hearer and the speaker in this body could never be seen even before. (44)
Nor is the great vital principle—(which inspires all the Indriyas and) which is (therefore said to be) the foremost—the hearer or the speaker. As for the soul, which (while remaining) in a body is endowed with the senses (perceives the various sense-objects through the different senses), is (altogether) different from the (said) vital principle as well as from the body (both of which are devoid of consciousness). (45)
The (aforementioned) all-pervading spirit, that is different from the body, accepts (as identical with it) bodies (of various kinds)—(both) high and low and characterized by the (five subtle) elements, the Indriyas (the five senses of perception and the five organs of action) and the mind—and (in the long run) even actually gives up such identification by force of its own discrimination. (46)
Action proves to be a source of bondage only so long as the soul stands identified with a subtle body. From such identification follow the perversion of the (all-blissful) Soul and (the attendant) misery, which are (however both) conceived in illusion (and not real). (47)
To look upon the (three) Guṇas (their products in the shape of pleasure and pain arising from the contact of the senses with their objects) or speak of them as real—this is a false prepossession. Like a fanciful conception or a dream every sensuous pleasure is unreal. (48)
Hence the knowers of Truth grieve neither for that which is abiding nor for that which is transient in this world. Nor can the nature of those who are given to grieving be changed. (49)

A certain fowler, who had been created (by God) as a (veritable) death (as it were) for birds, spread his net in a forest and employing (all sorts of) allurements, caught them wherever he could. (50)
A pair of fork-tailed shrikes was seen moving about there. Of them the female bird was precipitately allured by the fowler. (51)
Subject to the control of Time, the said female bird got entangled in the meshes of the net. Sore afflicted to see her thus involved in (mortal) danger, yet incapable (of doing anything), the helpless male bird bewailed (the lot of) his miserable mate out of affection (as follows):— (52)
"Oh, what will the mighty yet merciless Providence do with my wretched wife, pitiable in every way and grieving for my miserable self ? (53)
Rather let the Deity take me (as well); (for) what is the use to me of this wretched half body, surviving miserably and dragging a desolate existence (when the other half in the form of my mate has been snatched away by Him)? (54)
My youngs of poor luck (keenly) await in the nest (the return of) their mother. How shall I (be able to) nourish those motherless little ones still unfledged?" (55)
Hidden close by and impelled by Death, the same fowler pierced with an arrow the male shrike (too), sore with separation from its beloved mate and wailing thus, its throat choked with tears. (56)
Not foreseeing your own death and lamenting your husband in this way, you foolish women will not (be able to) get him back even in hundreds of years. (57)

Hiraṇyakaśipu went on : While the child was thus discoursing, all the relations of king Suyajña felt astonished and realized everything as transient and unreal. (58)
Having narrated this (legend), Yama (the god of retribution) disappeared on that very spot. The relations of Suyajña too performed what was conducive to his future (other-worldly) good.(59)
Hence don't you grieve for another nor even for yourselves. Apart from the preconceived notion distinguishing one's own self from another, which is nothing but ignorance, what distinction is there between one's own self and another or again between one's own possession and that belonging to another in the eyes of embodied souls in this world ? (60)

Nārada continued : Hearing this speech of Hiraṇyakaśipu (the lord of the Daityas), Diti (his mother) along with her daughter-in-law (the widow of Hiraṇyākṣa, his younger brother) instantly gave up sorrowing for her son (Hiraṇyākṣa) and fixed her mind on the (highest) truth.(61)

Thus ends the second discourse entitled "Diti rid of her sorrow",
in Book Seven of the great and glorious Bhāgavata-Purāṇa,
otherwise known as the Paramahārṣa-Sarhhitā.