Canto 7 - Chapter 10: (The story of) the conquest of Tripura

Discourse X

(The story of) the conquest of Tripura

Nārada began again : Regarding all that (asking boons and so on) as an impediment to the practice of Devotion, the infant (Prahrāda) smilingly addressed Lord Nṛsiṃha (the Ruler of the senses) as follows. (1)

Prahrāda said : Pray, do not tempt me, attached as I am to the pleasures of sense by birth, with boons in the form of those (very) pleasures. Afraid of attachment to them and fed up with them, I have approached You for protection, anxious to secure freedom (from the shackles of birth and death). (2)
Eager to ascertain (make known to the world) the characteristics of a (true) devotee, You directed me to the pleasures of sense, the seeds of transmigration, serving as so many knots to bind the heart, O Lord ! (3)
Otherwise such a thing would not be possible for You, who are (so) kind-hearted, O Preceptor of the universe! He who seeks (worldly) blessings from You is no servant (of Yours). He is only a business man. (4)
One desiring blessings for oneself from a master is no servant in the true sense of the word. And (likewise) he is no master, who grants (such) gifts expecting the recognition of his mastership from his servant. (5)
I, however, am Your devotee without any craving; while You are my master having no axe to grind. Unlike the interests of a king and his servant here, our interest (in each other) is not governed by any other (selfish) motive. (6)
If You (are inclined to) bestow on me, O Lord, boons sought after by me, O Chief of the bestowers of boons, I solicit from You this boon alone that no more desires may (ever) sprout in my heart.(7)
With the (very) appearance of desire the Indriyas (the senses of perception as well as the organs of action), the mind, vital energy, the body, righteousness, firmness, understanding, modesty, wealth, glory, memory and truthfulness disappear. (8)
(On the other hand,) when a man gets rid of the desires rooted in the heart, then alone, O lotus-eyed One, he becomes qualified for (attaining) divine glory.* (9)
Hail to You, the almighty and high-souled Śrī Hari, the Inner Controller, the Absolute, the Supreme Spirit, appearing in the form of an extraordinary lion ! (10)

• This is corroborated by the following Sruti text:—
  (Kaṭhopaniṣad II. iii. 14)
  "When all the desires rooted in one's heart are got rid of, a mortal forthwith becomes immortal and attains oneness with Brahma (the Absolute) in this (very) life."

Lord Nṛṣiṁha replied : Those like you, who are exclusively devoted to Me, never seek (even) from Me benefits in this or the next world. Nevertheless enjoy here during (the whole of) this Manvantara continuously the luxuries of the lords of the Daityas. (11)
Taking (great) pleasure in My delightful stories and enthroning in Your heart Me, the one Lord presiding over sacrifices and (equally) present in all creatures, worship you Me, renouncing (all) action by offering it to Me. (12)
Exhausting (your) merit by means of enjoyment (of pleasures) and sin by meritorious actions and casting off (your) body in course of time and spreading (in this world) an unsullied fame which will be sung (even) in the celestial regions, you will (eventually) attain to Me, all your bonds being loosened. (13)
A man who recites this hymn addressed to Me by you, thinking of you and Me as well as of this narrative will in course of time be completely freed from the bondage of actions. (14)

Prahrāda submitted : I solicit this boon from You, the Ruler of (all) bestowers of boons, O supreme Lord, that inasmuch as my father, who was ignorant of Your divine glory and whose heart was stung with indignation, spoke ill of You—who are no other than the almighty Lord, the Preceptor of the whole universe—labouring under the false notion that You had been the slayer of his brother (Hiraṇyākṣa), and (further) bore ill-will to me, a devotee of Yours, he, my father, may (kindly) be absolved from that sin, which is so difficult to get rid of and so difficult to cross over, although (I am sure) he was purged (of it) the moment he was compassionately regarded with the outer corner of Your eye, O lover of the afflicted ! (15—17)

The Lord said : Your father, O sinless one, was purified along with (as many as) twenty-one past generations* by the very fact that you, the sanctifier of your race, were born in his house, O pious soul ! (18)
Wherever there are My devotees, perfectly tranquil, pious and extremely noble in character, viewing all with the same eye, (all) those tracts of land get hallowed, (the desecrated land of) Kīkāṭa (and other such territories including their inhabitants) not excepted. (19)
Those whose hankering has (totally) disappeared through devotion to Me, O ruler of the Daityas, persecute none among the multitudes of living beings, high and low, by any means (whatsoever). (20)
(Even) persons following your way of life in this world will become My devotees. Indeed you will serve as a model for all My devotees. (21)
(Now) perform you the obsequies with respect to your father (Hiranyakaśipu), though he has been purified in every way by the touch of My Person, O beloved one. Having been blessed with a noble son (like you), he will attain to the higher worlds. (22)
(Also) occupy the throne of your father (as the ruler of the Daityas) and, fixing your mind on Me, dear son, and (completely) devoted to Me, perform your duties as directed by the exponents of the Vedas. (23)

Nārāda continued : Prahrāda too did what was due to his (deceased) father by way of funeral rites in the same way as the Lord had commanded him (to do), O king (Yudhiṣṭhira)! He was (then) crowned (as king) by the foremost of the Brāhmaṇas. (24)
Finding Śrī Hari, who was disguised as a man-lion, wearing a serene look as a token of grace, Brahmā, who was surrounded by gods and others, (first) extolled Him by means of sacred hymns and (then) submitted (as follows). (25)

Brahmā said : O god of gods, supreme Ruler of all, Protector of (all) created beings, my Father ! fortunately (for us) the wicked demon (Hiranyakaśipu), the tormentor of the world, has been slain by You. (26)
He is the same fellow who having secured a boon from me (to this effect) was not to be killed by living beings of my creation and, proud of his strength derived from austerities and Yoga (concentration of mind), stamped out all virtues inculcated by the Vedas. (27)
Luckily enough his son, a pious soul and an eminent devotee, though (yet) an infant, has been delivered by You from (the jaws of) death and it is good that he has now duly attained to You. (28)
This (divine) form of Yours, O Lord, is capable of protecting from all dangers, nay, even from Death bent on destruction, anyone who contemplates on it and whose mind is completely subdued. (29)

• Sprung from the loins of the sage Kaśyapa, son of Marici, a mind-born son of Brahmā (the creator), Hiranyakaśipu was in the third generation from Brahmā. By alleging that he was purified along with twenty-one past generations, the Lord, therefore, evidently refers to the twenty-one generations of his parentage in his previous incarnation (in the preceding Kaṭpa).

Lord Nṛṣiṁha said : No more boon of this kind ought to be bestowed by you on the Asuras, O Brahmā (sprung from a lotus). A boon conferred on those who are cruel by nature proves harmful as milk given to serpents. (30)

Nārada went on : Having spoken thus, O Yudhiṣṭhira, and worshipped by Brahmā (the highest god), Lord Śrī Hari, who cannot (ordinarily) be seen by all created beings disappeared on that very spot. (31)
Then, duly worshipping Brahmā (the creator), Lord Śiva (the Source of the universe), the lords of creation (Marici and others) and the gods (Indra and others), who are (so many) rays (as it were) of the Lord, Prahrāda made obeisance (to them) with his head (bent low). (32)
After that, along with the sages headed by Kāvya (the sage Śukra, the preceptor of the demon race), Brahmā (who has his seat on a lotus) installed Prahrāda as the ruler of the Daityas and the Dānavas. (33)
Then, felicitating Prahrāda and invoking the choicest blessings (on him), and honoured (by him) in return, the gods, headed by Brahmā, returned to their (respective) abodes, O king (Yudhiṣṭhira) ! (34)

In this way those two attendants of Lord Viṣṇu (viz., Jaya and Vijaya) were reduced to the state of Daityas (sons of Diti) under the imprecation of the Brāhmaṇas (the sages Sanaka and his three brothers). (And) due to their hostile feeling they were slain by Śrī Hari, present in their heart. Again they appeared as a pair of Rākṣasas (ogres), Kumbhakarṇa (one having ears as big as jars) and Rāvaṇa (a ten-headed monster). They were disposed of by the prowess of Śrī Rāma. (35-36)
Lying on the battle-field with their heart torn open by the arrows of Śrī Rāma, they shed their body as in their previous birth, their mind fixed on Him. (37)
Further, reborn as Śiśupāla and Dantavaktra (the son of Karūṣa) in this life, the two got merged in Śrī Hari by virtue of their deep-rooted enmity as you have seen (for yourself). (38)
Becoming one with Him at the last moment (by fixing their mind on Him), even as a caterpillar gets transformed into a wasp through contemplation on the wasp, princes inimical to Śrī Kṛṣṇa got rid (through such meditation) of whatever sin had been committed (by them) before (their death). (39)
Even as devotees attained similarity of form with the Lord (by contemplating on Him) through supreme Devotion characterized by a feeling of identity (with Him), so did kings such as Śiśupāla (the ruler of Cedi) attain similarity of form with Śrī Hari through contemplation on Him (as their enemy). (40)

All that you asked me in detail has (thus) been related to you, namely, the attainment as aforesaid of similarity of form with Śrī Hari by kings such as Śiśupāla (the son of Damaghoṣa), even though His enemies; the sacred story, just told by me, of the descent (in the form of a man-lion) of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme person, a votary of the Brāhmaṇas, in which has been described the death of the two most ancient Daityas (Hiraṇyākṣa and Hiraṇyakaśipu); the narrative of Prahrāda, a great devotee of the Lord, as well as (an account of) his Devotion, spiritual enlightenment and dispassion and as a matter of fact the true nature of Śrī Hari, who is responsible for the creation, existence and dissolution of the universe; an account of His excellences and exploits as well as of the great change of abodes, in course of time, of the higher and lower orders of creation (such as the gods and demons and so on), and the cult of the Bhāgavatas (votaries of the Lord), by means of which the Lord is (easily and speedily) reached. (Further) in this chronicle has been discussed at length in all (its) bearings the topic of the Spirit. (41—45)
Whoever, on hearing with reverence this sacred narrative, enriched with an account of the prowess of Lord Viṣṇu, recites it (to others) is completely freed from the bonds of Karma. (46)
(And) whosoever reads with a concentrated mind this story of the pastime of Lord Viṣṇu (the most ancient Person) figuring as a lion, (mainly) consisting of the destruction of Hiraṇyakaśipu (the ruler of the Daityas), who resembled a mighty elephant (the leader of a herd of elephants), after hearing of the hallowed glory of Prahrāda (the son of Hiraṇyakaśipu), the foremost of virtuous souls, attains to the realm (of Lord Viṣṇu) where there is no fear from any quarter. (47)

Oh, exceedingly fortunate (far more fortunate than Prahrāda) on earth (this world of human beings) are you (the Pāṇḍavas and the Yadus), to whose residences flock from all quarters sages sanctifying the (whole) world, inasmuch as the supreme Brahma bodily stays there disguised in the form of a human being. (48)
This very Śrī Kṛṣṇa, your well-known beloved friend and cousin (son of your maternal uncle, Vasudeva), (nay,) your very self (body), worthy of your adoration, obedient servant (ambassador and charioteer) and preceptor (all in one), is Brahma, the realization of absolute (unconditioned) supreme Bliss diligently sought after (even) by the great. (49)
May this Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the well-known Protector of devotees, be gracious to us—Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose essential character has not (so far) been depicted in its true colours with the help of reason (even) by Lord Śiva (the Source of the universe), Brahmā (the lotus-born) and others, and who is adored (by us) through silent meditation and enquiry, Devotion and control of one's senses and so on (unlike you, who are on such intimate terms with Him and on whom He lavishes His affection, a privilege which even Prahrāda never enjoyed). (50)
He is that very Lord, who spread (revived) of yore, O king, the renown of Lord Rudra, which had been marred by (the demon) Maya, who possessed an endless store of conjuring tricks. (51)

The king (Yudhiṣṭhira) submitted : (Pray) relate (to me) in what (particular) achievement Maya marred the glory of Lord Śiva (the Ruler of the universe) and the way in which it was enhanced by yonder Śrī Kṛṣṇa. (52)

Nārada replied : Utterly defeated in battle (once) by the gods, fostered by Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Asuras sought as their protector (the demon) Maya, the supreme teacher of those skilled in conjuring tricks. (53)
Having built three cities (flying fortresses) of gold, silver and steel (respectively)—whose coming and going could not be easily detected and which were furnished with articles too numerous to conceive—the powerful demon handed them over to the Asura chiefs. (54)
Remembering their old enmity (with the gods), the aforesaid Asura generals set about devastating by means of these the three worlds with their rulers, O Yudhiṣṭhira, themselves remaining unperceived. (55)
Approaching Lord Śiva, the denizens of these worlds with their rulers then prayed to Him: "O Lord, protect us, Your own people, (well-nigh) destroyed by the demons ensconced in the three (flying) cities." (56)

Reassuring the gods in the words "Do not be afraid !" the almighty Lord then fitted to His bow an arrow surcharged with mystic power and discharged it at the three cities. (57)
From that arrow, like streams of rays from the orb of the sun, issued forth (many more) fiery shafts, screened by which the cities could no longer be seen. (58)
Struck by these, all the occupants of the cities fell down dead. Maya, a great adept in conjuring tricks, fetched and put them into the nectar-like water of a well (built by himself within the cities). (59)
Touched by that nectar-like fluid endowed with the property of restoring the dead to life, they emerged with an adamantine frame and possessed of extraordinary strength like fires in the form of lightning tearing the clouds. (60)

Finding Lord Śiva (who bears the device of a bull on His banner) depressed in spirits because of His will having been crossed, the aforesaid Lord Viṣṇu (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) then contrived a plan for drying up the immortalizing fluid. (61)
On that occasion Brahmā (the creator) took the form of a calf, while the aforesaid Viṣṇu Himself actually assumed the semblance of a cow and, entering the three cities at midday, drank off the immortalizing fluid of that well of nectar. (62)
Though watching this, the demons in charge of the well did not forbid them, greatly bewildered as they were (by the deluding potency of the Lord). Coming to know of this, and reflecting on the course of destiny working in that (miraculous) way, the demon Maya (a past master in conjuring tricks), himself destitute of grief, addressed the following (words) to the demons guarding the fluid, who were stricken with grief :—"No one in this world—be he a god, demon, human being or anyone else—is capable of setting aside what has been ordained by fate with regard to oneself or another or both." After that, by means of His own (divine) potencies in the form of Righteousness, Wisdom, Dispassion, Affluence, Asceticism, Learning, Activity and so on, He (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) created the requisites for war for the use of Lord Śiva (the Source of blessedness), viz., a chariot, a charioteer, an ensign, horses, a bow, armour, arrows etc. (respectively). (63—66)
Clad in armour and mounting the chariot, the almighty Lord (Śiva) then took up the bow and an arrow; and, fitting the arrow to the bow during the Muhūrta known as Abhijit, Śiva (the Destroyer of the universe) burnt with it (all) the three cities, which were (so) difficult to penetrate, O Yudhiṣṭhira ! Dfums began to sound in heaven; while gods, Ṛṣis (seers), manes and the lords of Siddhas (a class of demigods endowed with mystic powers from their very birth)—with their hundreds of aerial cars crowded together (in the heavens)—showered heaps of flowers on the Lord, crying "May You be victorious !" And hosts of Apsarās (celestial nymphs) sang and danced, full of joy.(67—69)
Having burnt the three cities in this way, O king, Lord Śiva (who henceforward became known as the Destroyer of the three cities) returned to His abode (Mount Kailāsa), being glorified by Brahmā and others. (70)
There are similar (other) exploits—the accounts of which purify (all) the three worlds—celebrated by seers, of the aforesaid Śrī Hari, the Preceptor of the universe, who by His own deluding potency imitates (the ways of) His human world. What else shall I say (to you)? (71)

Thus ends the tenth discourse entitled "The (story of) the conquest of the three cities", forming part of the dialogue between Emperor Yudhiṣṭhira and the sage Nārada, in Book Seven of the great and glorious Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, otherwise known as the Paramahamsa-Sarhhitā.