Vishnu's Threefold Stratagem: The Slaying of Vritra

Shloka 1 (uttara.85.1)

लक्ष्मणस्य तु तद्वाक्यं श्रुत्वा शत्रुनिबर्हणः । वृत्रघातमशेषेण कथयेत्याह सुव्रत ।। ७.८५.१ ।।

lakṣmaṇasya tu tadvākyaṃ śrutvā śatrunibarhaṇaḥ | vṛtraghātamaśeṣeṇa kathayetyāha suvrata || 7.85.1 ||

Having heard that speech of Lakshmana, the destroyer of foes said, "Tell the slaying of Vritra in full, O virtuous one."

Shloka 2 (uttara.85.2)

राघवेणैवमुक्तस्तु सुमित्रानन्दवर्धनः । भूय एव कथां दिव्यां कथयामास सुव्रतः ।। ७.८५.२ ।।

rāghaveṇaivamuktastu sumitrānandavardhanaḥ | bhūya eva kathāṃ divyāṃ kathayāmāsa suvrataḥ || 7.85.2 ||

Thus addressed by Raghava, the virtuous increaser of Sumitra's joy then related that divine story once more, in full.

Shloka 3 (uttara.85.3)

सहस्राक्षवचः श्रुत्वा सर्वेषां च दिवौकसाम् । विष्णुर्देवानुवाचेदं सर्वानिन्द्रपुरोगमान् ।। ७.८५.३ ।।

sahasrākṣavacaḥ śrutvā sarveṣāṃ ca divaukasām | viṣṇurdevānuvācedaṃ sarvānindrapurogamān || 7.85.3 ||

Having heard the words of the thousand-eyed one and of all the heaven-dwellers, Vishnu said this to all the gods, with Indra at their head.

Shloka 4 (uttara.85.4)

पूर्वं सौहृदबद्धो ऽस्मि वृत्रस्य ह महात्मनः । तेन युष्मत्प्रियार्थं हि नाहं हन्मि महासुरम् ।। ७.८५.४ ।।

pūrvaṃ sauhṛdabaddho 'smi vṛtrasya ha mahātmanaḥ | tena yuṣmatpriyārthaṃ hi nāhaṃ hanmi mahāsuram || 7.85.4 ||

"I am bound by a former friendship with the great-souled Vritra; therefore, even for your own sake and pleasure, I myself shall not slay that great asura."

Shloka 5 (uttara.85.5)

अवश्यं करणीयं च भवतां सुखमुत्तमम् । तस्मादुपायमाख्यास्ये येन वृत्रो निहन्यते ।। ७.८५.५ ।।

avaśyaṃ karaṇīyaṃ ca bhavatāṃ sukhamuttamam | tasmādupāyamākhyāsye yena vṛtro nihanyate || 7.85.5 ||

"Yet your supreme happiness must certainly be secured; therefore I shall declare the means by which Vritra may be slain."

Shloka 6 (uttara.85.6)

त्रिधाभूतं करिष्यामि ह्यात्मानं सुरसत्तमाः । तेन वृत्रं सहस्राक्षो वधिष्यति न संशयः ।। ७.८५.६ ।।

tridhābhūtaṃ kariṣyāmi hyātmānaṃ surasattamāḥ | tena vṛtraṃ sahasrākṣo vadhiṣyati na saṃśayaḥ || 7.85.6 ||

"I shall make myself threefold, O best of gods; by that means, the thousand-eyed one shall slay Vritra -- of this there is no doubt."

Shloka 7 (uttara.85.7)

एकांशो वासवं यातु द्वितीयो वज्रमेव तु । तृतीयो भूतलं शक्रस्तदा वृत्रं वधिष्यति ।। ७.८५.७ ।।

ekāṃśo vāsavaṃ yātu dvitīyo vajrameva tu | tṛtīyo bhūtalaṃ śakrastadā vṛtraṃ vadhiṣyati || 7.85.7 ||

"Let one part enter Vasava, the second the vajra itself, and the third the earth; then Shakra shall slay Vritra."

Shloka 8 (uttara.85.8)

तथा ब्रुवति देवेशे देवा वाक्यमथाब्रुवन् । एवमेतन्न सन्देहो यथा वदसि दैत्यहन् ।। ७.८५.८ ।।

tathā bruvati deveśe devā vākyamathābruvan | evametanna sandeho yathā vadasi daityahan || 7.85.8 ||

As the lord of the gods spoke thus, the gods then said this: "So be it, without doubt, just as you say, O slayer of daityas."

Shloka 9 (uttara.85.9)

भद्रं ते ऽस्तु गमिष्यामो वृत्रासुरवधैषिणः । भजस्व परमोदार वासवं स्वेन तेजसा ।। ७.८५.९ ।।

bhadraṃ te 'stu gamiṣyāmo vṛtrāsuravadhaiṣiṇaḥ | bhajasva paramodāra vāsavaṃ svena tejasā || 7.85.9 ||

"May good befall you; we shall go, desiring the slaying of the demon Vritra; do you, O most magnanimous one, favor Vasava with your own splendor."

Shloka 10 (uttara.85.10)

ततः सर्वे महात्मानः सहस्राक्षपुरोगमाः । तदारण्यमुपाक्रामन्यत्र वृत्रो महासुरः ।। ७.८५.१० ।।

tataḥ sarve mahātmānaḥ sahasrākṣapurogamāḥ | tadāraṇyamupākrāmanyatra vṛtro mahāsuraḥ || 7.85.10 ||

Then all the great-souled ones, led by the thousand-eyed one, approached that forest where the great asura Vritra was.

Shloka 11 (uttara.85.11)

ते पश्यंस्तेजसा भूतं तप्यन्तमसुरोत्तमम् । पिबन्तमिव लोकांस्त्रीन्निर्दहन्तमिवाम्बरम् ।। ७.८५.११ ।।

te paśyaṃstejasā bhūtaṃ tapyantamasurottamam | pibantamiva lokāṃstrīnnirdahantamivāmbaram || 7.85.11 ||

They saw that foremost of asuras, ablaze with power, performing austerity -- as if drinking in the three worlds, as if burning up the sky.

Shloka 12 (uttara.85.12)

दृष्ट्वैव चासुरश्रेष्ठं देवास्त्रासमुपागमन् । कथमेनं वधिष्यामः कथं न स्यात्पराजयः ।। ७.८५.१२ ।।

dṛṣṭvaiva cāsuraśreṣṭhaṃ devāstrāsamupāgaman | kathamenaṃ vadhiṣyāmaḥ kathaṃ na syātparājayaḥ || 7.85.12 ||

Seeing that foremost of asuras, the gods were seized with fear: "How shall we slay him? How might there be no defeat for us?"

Shloka 13 (uttara.85.13)

तेषां चिन्तयतां तत्र सहस्राक्षः पुरन्दरः । वज्रं प्रगृह्य पाणिभ्यां प्राहिणोद्वृत्रमूर्धनि ।। ७.८५.१३ ।।

teṣāṃ cintayatāṃ tatra sahasrākṣaḥ purandaraḥ | vajraṃ pragṛhya pāṇibhyāṃ prāhiṇodvṛtramūrdhani || 7.85.13 ||

While they were thus deliberating, the thousand-eyed Purandara, seizing the vajra with both hands, hurled it upon Vritra's head.

Shloka 14 (uttara.85.14)

कालाग्निनेव घोरेण तप्तेनैव महार्चिषा । पतता वृत्रशिरसा जगत्त्रासमुपागमत् ।। ७.८५.१४ ।।

kālāgnineva ghoreṇa taptenaiva mahārciṣā | patatā vṛtraśirasā jagattrāsamupāgamat || 7.85.14 ||

As if scorched by the terrible fire of dissolution, blazing with a great flame, Vritra's head fell -- and the world was seized with terror.

Shloka 15 (uttara.85.15)

असम्भाव्यं वधं तस्य वृत्रस्य विबुधाधिपः । चिन्तयानो जगामाशु लोकस्यान्तं महायशाः ।। ७.८५.१५ ।।

asambhāvyaṃ vadhaṃ tasya vṛtrasya vibudhādhipaḥ | cintayāno jagāmāśu lokasyāntaṃ mahāyaśāḥ || 7.85.15 ||

The lord of the gods, of great renown, pondering the seemingly impossible slaying of Vritra, swiftly went to the very edge of the world.

Shloka 16 (uttara.85.16)

तमिन्द्रं ब्रह्महत्याशु गच्छन्तमनुगच्छति । अपतच्चास्य गात्रेषु तमिन्द्रं दुःखमाविशत् ।। ७.८५.१६ ।।

tamindraṃ brahmahatyāśu gacchantamanugacchati | apataccāsya gātreṣu tamindraṃ duḥkhamāviśat || 7.85.16 ||

The sin of brahmin-murder swiftly pursued Indra as he fled, and fell upon his very limbs; sorrow entered into that Indra.

Shloka 17 (uttara.85.17)

हतारयः प्रनष्टेन्द्रा देवाः साग्निपुरोगमाः । विष्णुं त्रिभुवनेशानं मुहुर्मुहुरपूजयन् ।। ७.८५.१७ ।।

hatārayaḥ pranaṣṭendrā devāḥ sāgnipurogamāḥ | viṣṇuṃ tribhuvaneśānaṃ muhurmuhurapūjayan || 7.85.17 ||

Their enemy slain, but their Indra vanished, the gods, with Agni at their head, again and again worshipped Vishnu, the lord of the three worlds.

Shloka 18 (uttara.85.18)

त्वं गतिः परमेशान पूर्वजो जगतः पिता । रक्षार्थं सर्वभूतानां विष्णुत्वमुपजग्मिवान् ।। ७.८५.१८ ।।

tvaṃ gatiḥ parameśāna pūrvajo jagataḥ pitā | rakṣārthaṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ viṣṇutvamupajagmivān || 7.85.18 ||

"You are the refuge, O supreme lord, the first-born, the father of the world; for the protection of all beings you have attained the state of Vishnu."

Shloka 19 (uttara.85.19)

हतश्चायं त्वया वृत्रो ब्रह्महत्या च वासवम् । बाधते सुरशार्दूल मोक्षं तस्या विनिर्दिश ।। ७.८५.१९ ।।

hataścāyaṃ tvayā vṛtro brahmahatyā ca vāsavam | bādhate suraśārdūla mokṣaṃ tasyā vinirdiśa || 7.85.19 ||

"By you this Vritra has been slain; yet the sin of brahmin-murder afflicts Vasava -- O tiger among the gods, declare to us the means of release from it."

Shloka 20 (uttara.85.20)

तेषां तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा देवानां विष्णुरब्रवीत् । मामेव यजतां शक्रः पावयिष्यामि वज्रिणम् ।। ७.८५.२० ।।

teṣāṃ tadvacanaṃ śrutvā devānāṃ viṣṇurabravīt | māmeva yajatāṃ śakraḥ pāvayiṣyāmi vajriṇam || 7.85.20 ||

Having heard that speech of the gods, Vishnu said: "Let Shakra sacrifice to me alone; I shall purify the wielder of the vajra."

Shloka 21 (uttara.85.21)

पुण्येन हयमेधेन मामिष्ट्वा पाकशासनः । पुनरेष्यति देवानामिन्द्रत्वमकुतोभयम् ।। ७.८५.२१ ।।

puṇyena hayamedhena māmiṣṭvā pākaśāsanaḥ | punareṣyati devānāmindratvamakutobhayam || 7.85.21 ||

"Having worshipped me with the holy horse-sacrifice, Pakashasana shall regain, once more, the fearless Indra-hood among the gods."

Shloka 22 (uttara.85.22)

एवं सन्दिश्य तां वाणीं देवानाममृतोपमाम् । जगाम विष्णुर्देवेशः स्तूयमानस्त्रिविष्टपम् ।। ७.८५.२२ ।।

evaṃ sandiśya tāṃ vāṇīṃ devānāmamṛtopamām | jagāma viṣṇurdeveśaḥ stūyamānastriviṣṭapam || 7.85.22 ||

Having thus given the gods that nectar-like counsel, Vishnu, lord of the gods, being praised, departed to heaven.