First Skandha · Chapter 6
Sourceऋषय ऊचुः सौम्य यच्च त्वया प्रोक्तं शौरेर्युद्धं महार्णवे । मधुकैटभयोः सार्धं पञ्चवर्षसहस्रकम् ॥ १ ॥ कस्मात्तौ दानवौ जातौ तस्मिन्नेकार्णवे जले । महावीर्यो दुराधर्षौ देवैरपि सुदुर्जयौ ॥ २ ॥ कथं तावसुरौ जातौ कथं च हरिणा हतौ । तदाचक्ष्व महाप्राज्ञ चरितं परमाद्भुतम् ॥ ३ ॥ श्रोतुकामा वयं सर्वे त्वं वक्ता च बहुश्रुतः । दैवाच्चात्रैव संजातः संयोगश्च तथावयोः ॥ ४ ॥ मूर्खेण सह संयोगो विषादपि सुदुर्जरः । विज्ञेन सह संयोगः सुधारससमः स्मृतः ॥ ५ ॥ जीवन्ति पशवः सर्वे खादन्ति मेहयन्ति च । जानन्ति विषयाकारं व्यवायसुखमद्भुतम् ॥ ६ ॥ न तेषां सदसज्ज्ञानं विवेको न च मोक्षदः । पशुभिस्ते समा ज्ञेया येषां न श्रवणादरः ॥ ७ ॥ मृगाद्याः पशवः केचिज्जानन्ति श्रावणं सुखम् । अश्रोत्राः फणिनश्चैव मुमुहुर्नादपानतः ॥ ८ ॥ पञ्चानामिन्द्रियाणां वै शुभे श्रवणदर्शने । श्रवणाद्वस्तुविज्ञानं दर्शनाच्चित्तरञ्जनम् ॥ ९ ॥ श्रवणं त्रिविधं प्रोक्तं सात्त्विकं राजसं तथा । तामसं च महाभाग सुज्ञोक्तं निश्चयान्वितम् ॥ १० ॥ सात्त्विकं वेदशास्त्रादि साहित्यं चैव राजसम् । तामसं युद्धवार्ता च परदोषप्रकाशनम् ॥ ११ ॥ सात्त्विकं त्रिविधं प्रोक्तं प्रज्ञावद्भिश्च पण्डितैः । उत्तमं मध्यमं चैव तथैवाधममित्युत ॥ १२ ॥ उत्तमं मोक्षफलदं स्वर्गदं मध्यमं तथा । अधमं भोगदं प्रोक्तं निर्णीय विदितं बुधैः ॥ १३ ॥ साहित्यं चैव त्रिविधं स्वीयायां चोत्तमं स्मृतम् । मध्यमं वारयोषायां परोढायां तथाधमम् ॥ १४ ॥ तामसं त्रिविधं ज्ञेयं विद्वद्भिः शास्त्रदर्शिभिः । आततायिनियुद्धं यत्तदुत्तममुदाहृतम् ॥ १५ ॥ मध्यमं चापि विद्वेषात्पाण्डवानां तथारिभिः । अधमं निर्निमित्तं तु विवादे कलहे तथा ॥ १६ ॥ तदत्र श्रवणं मुख्यं पुराणस्य महामते । बुद्धिप्रवर्धनं पुण्यं ततः पापप्रणाशनम् ॥ १७ ॥ तदाख्याहि महाबुद्धे कथां पौराणिकीं शुभाम् । श्रुतां द्वैपायनात्पूर्वं सर्वार्थस्य प्रसाधिनीम् ॥ १८ ॥ सूत उवाच यूयं धन्या महाभागा धन्योऽहं पृथिवीतले । येषां श्रवणबुद्धिश्च ममापि कथने किल ॥ १९ ॥ पुरा चैकार्णवे जाते विलीने भुवनत्रये । शेषपर्यङ्कसुप्ते च देवदेवे जनार्दने ॥ २० ॥ विष्णुकर्णमलोद्भूतौ दानवौ मधुकैटभौ । महाबलौ च तौ दैत्यौ विवृद्धौ सागरे जले ॥ २१ ॥ क्रीडमानौ स्थितौ तत्र विचरन्तावितस्ततः । तावेकदा महाकायौ क्रीडासक्तौ महार्णवे ॥ २२ ॥ चिन्तामवापतुश्चित्ते भ्रातराविव संस्थितौ । नाकारणं भवेत्कार्यं सर्वत्रैषा परम्परा ॥ २३ ॥ आधेयं तु विनाधारं न तिष्ठति कथञ्चन । आधाराधेयभावस्तु भाति नो चित्तगोचरः ॥ २४ ॥ क्व तिष्ठति जलं चेदं सुखरूपं सुविस्तरम् । केन सृष्टं कथं जातं मग्नावावाञ्जले स्थितौ ॥ २५ ॥ आवां वा कथमुत्पन्नौ केन वोत्पादितावुभौ । पितरौ क्वेति विज्ञानं नास्ति कामं तथावयोः ॥ २६ ॥ सूत उवाच एवं कामयमानौ तौ जग्मतुर्न विनिश्चयम् । उवाच कैटभस्तत्र मधुं पार्श्वे स्थितं जले ॥ २७ ॥ कैटभ उवाच मधो वामत्र सलिले स्थातुं शक्तिर्महाबला । वर्तते भ्रातरचला कारणं सा हि मे मता ॥ २८ ॥ तया ततमिदं तोयं तदाधारं च तिष्ठति । सा एव परमा देवी कारणञ्च तथावयोः ॥ २९ ॥ एवं विबुध्यमानौ तौ चिन्ताविष्टौ यदासुरौ । तदाकाशे श्रुतं ताभ्यां वाग्बीजं सुमनोहरम् ॥ ३० ॥ गृहीतं च ततस्ताभ्यां तस्याभ्यासो दृढः कृतः । तदा सौदामनी दृष्टा ताभ्यां खे चोत्थिता शुभा ॥ ३१ ॥ ताभ्यां विचारितं तत्र मन्त्रोऽयं नात्र संशयः । तथा ध्यानमिदं दृष्टं गगने सगुणं किल ॥ ३२ ॥ निराहारौ जितात्मानौ तन्मनस्कौ समाहितौ । बभूवतुर्विचिन्त्यैवं जपध्यानपरायणौ ॥ ३३ ॥ एवं वर्षसहस्रं तु ताभ्यां तप्तं महत्तपः । प्रसन्ना परमा शक्तिर्जाता सा परमा तयोः ॥ ३४ ॥ खिन्नौ तौ दानवौ दृष्ट्वा तपसे कृतनिश्चयौ । तयोरनुग्रहार्थाय वागुवाचाशरीरिणी ॥ ३५ ॥ वरं वां वाञ्छितं दैत्यौ ब्रूतं परमसम्मतम् । ददामि परितुष्टास्मि युवयोस्तपसा किल ॥ ३६ ॥ सूत उवाच इति श्रुत्वा तु तां वाणीं दानवावूचतुस्तदा । स्वेच्छया मरणं देवि वरं नौ देहि सुव्रते ॥ ३७ ॥ वागुवाच वाञ्छितं मरणं दैत्यौ भवेद्वा मत्प्रसादतः । अजेयौ देवदैत्यैश्च भ्रातरौ नात्र संशयः ॥ ३८ ॥ सूत उवाच इति दत्तवरौ देव्या दानवौ मददर्पितौ । चक्रतुः सागरे क्रीडां यादोगणसमन्वितौ ॥ ३९ ॥ कालेन कियता विप्रा दानवाभ्यां यदृच्छया । दृष्टः प्रजापतिर्ब्रह्मा पद्मासनगतः प्रभुः ॥ ४० ॥ दृष्ट्वा तु मुदितावास्तां युद्धकामौ महाबलौ । तमूचतुस्तदा तत्र युद्धं नौ देहि सुव्रत ॥ ४१ ॥ नोचेत्पद्मं परित्यज्य यथेष्टं गच्छ माचिरम् । यदि त्वं निर्बलश्चासि क्व योग्यं शुभमासनम् ॥ ४२ ॥ वीरभोग्यमिदं स्थानं कातरोऽसि त्यजाशु वै । तयोरिति वचः श्रुत्वा चिन्तामाप प्रजापतिः ॥ ४३ ॥ दृष्ट्वा च बलिनौ वीरौ किं करोमीति तापसः । चिन्ताविष्टस्तदा तस्थौ चिन्तयन्मनसा तदा ॥ ४४ ॥
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ saumya yacca tvayā proktaṃ śaureryuddhaṃ mahārṇave | madhukaiṭabhayoḥ sārdhaṃ pañcavarṣasahasrakam || 1 || kasmāttau dānavau jātau tasminnekārṇave jale | mahāvīryo durādharṣau devairapi sudurjayau || 2 || kathaṃ tāvasurau jātau kathaṃ ca hariṇā hatau | tadācakṣva mahāprājña caritaṃ paramādbhutam || 3 || śrotukāmā vayaṃ sarve tvaṃ vaktā ca bahuśrutaḥ | daivāccātraiva saṃjātaḥ saṃyogaśca tathāvayoḥ || 4 || mūrkheṇa saha saṃyogo viṣādapi sudurjaraḥ | vijñena saha saṃyogaḥ sudhārasasamaḥ smṛtaḥ || 5 || jīvanti paśavaḥ sarve khādanti mehayanti ca | jānanti viṣayākāraṃ vyavāyasukhamadbhutam || 6 || na teṣāṃ sadasajjñānaṃ viveko na ca mokṣadaḥ | paśubhiste samā jñeyā yeṣāṃ na śravaṇādaraḥ || 7 || mṛgādyāḥ paśavaḥ kecijjānanti śrāvaṇaṃ sukham | aśrotrāḥ phaṇinaścaiva mumuhurnādapānataḥ || 8 || pañcānāmindriyāṇāṃ vai śubhe śravaṇadarśane | śravaṇādvastuvijñānaṃ darśanāccittarañjanam || 9 || śravaṇaṃ trividhaṃ proktaṃ sāttvikaṃ rājasaṃ tathā | tāmasaṃ ca mahābhāga sujñoktaṃ niścayānvitam || 10 || sāttvikaṃ vedaśāstrādi sāhityaṃ caiva rājasam | tāmasaṃ yuddhavārtā ca paradoṣaprakāśanam || 11 || sāttvikaṃ trividhaṃ proktaṃ prajñāvadbhiśca paṇḍitaiḥ | uttamaṃ madhyamaṃ caiva tathaivādhamamityuta || 12 || uttamaṃ mokṣaphaladaṃ svargadaṃ madhyamaṃ tathā | adhamaṃ bhogadaṃ proktaṃ nirṇīya viditaṃ budhaiḥ || 13 || sāhityaṃ caiva trividhaṃ svīyāyāṃ cottamaṃ smṛtam | madhyamaṃ vārayoṣāyāṃ paroḍhāyāṃ tathādhamam || 14 || tāmasaṃ trividhaṃ jñeyaṃ vidvadbhiḥ śāstradarśibhiḥ | ātatāyiniyuddhaṃ yattaduttamamudāhṛtam || 15 || madhyamaṃ cāpi vidveṣātpāṇḍavānāṃ tathāribhiḥ | adhamaṃ nirnimittaṃ tu vivāde kalahe tathā || 16 || tadatra śravaṇaṃ mukhyaṃ purāṇasya mahāmate | buddhipravardhanaṃ puṇyaṃ tataḥ pāpapraṇāśanam || 17 || tadākhyāhi mahābuddhe kathāṃ paurāṇikīṃ śubhām | śrutāṃ dvaipāyanātpūrvaṃ sarvārthasya prasādhinīm || 18 || sūta uvāca yūyaṃ dhanyā mahābhāgā dhanyo'haṃ pṛthivītale | yeṣāṃ śravaṇabuddhiśca mamāpi kathane kila || 19 || purā caikārṇave jāte vilīne bhuvanatraye | śeṣaparyaṅkasupte ca devadeve janārdane || 20 || viṣṇukarṇamalodbhūtau dānavau madhukaiṭabhau | mahābalau ca tau daityau vivṛddhau sāgare jale || 21 || krīḍamānau sthitau tatra vicarantāvitastataḥ | tāvekadā mahākāyau krīḍāsaktau mahārṇave || 22 || cintāmavāpatuścitte bhrātarāviva saṃsthitau | nākāraṇaṃ bhavetkāryaṃ sarvatraiṣā paramparā || 23 || ādheyaṃ tu vinādhāraṃ na tiṣṭhati kathañcana | ādhārādheyabhāvastu bhāti no cittagocaraḥ || 24 || kva tiṣṭhati jalaṃ cedaṃ sukharūpaṃ suvistaram | kena sṛṣṭaṃ kathaṃ jātaṃ magnāvāvāñjale sthitau || 25 || āvāṃ vā kathamutpannau kena votpāditāvubhau | pitarau kveti vijñānaṃ nāsti kāmaṃ tathāvayoḥ || 26 || sūta uvāca evaṃ kāmayamānau tau jagmaturna viniścayam | uvāca kaiṭabhastatra madhuṃ pārśve sthitaṃ jale || 27 || kaiṭabha uvāca madho vāmatra salile sthātuṃ śaktirmahābalā | vartate bhrātaracalā kāraṇaṃ sā hi me matā || 28 || tayā tatamidaṃ toyaṃ tadādhāraṃ ca tiṣṭhati | sā eva paramā devī kāraṇañca tathāvayoḥ || 29 || evaṃ vibudhyamānau tau cintāviṣṭau yadāsurau | tadākāśe śrutaṃ tābhyāṃ vāgbījaṃ sumanoharam || 30 || gṛhītaṃ ca tatastābhyāṃ tasyābhyāso dṛḍhaḥ kṛtaḥ | tadā saudāmanī dṛṣṭā tābhyāṃ khe cotthitā śubhā || 31 || tābhyāṃ vicāritaṃ tatra mantro'yaṃ nātra saṃśayaḥ | tathā dhyānamidaṃ dṛṣṭaṃ gagane saguṇaṃ kila || 32 || nirāhārau jitātmānau tanmanaskau samāhitau | babhūvaturvicintyaivaṃ japadhyānaparāyaṇau || 33 || evaṃ varṣasahasraṃ tu tābhyāṃ taptaṃ mahattapaḥ | prasannā paramā śaktirjātā sā paramā tayoḥ || 34 || khinnau tau dānavau dṛṣṭvā tapase kṛtaniścayau | tayoranugrahārthāya vāguvācāśarīriṇī || 35 || varaṃ vāṃ vāñchitaṃ daityau brūtaṃ paramasammatam | dadāmi parituṣṭāsmi yuvayostapasā kila || 36 || sūta uvāca iti śrutvā tu tāṃ vāṇīṃ dānavāvūcatustadā | svecchayā maraṇaṃ devi varaṃ nau dehi suvrate || 37 || vāguvāca vāñchitaṃ maraṇaṃ daityau bhavedvā matprasādataḥ | ajeyau devadaityaiśca bhrātarau nātra saṃśayaḥ || 38 || sūta uvāca iti dattavarau devyā dānavau madadarpitau | cakratuḥ sāgare krīḍāṃ yādogaṇasamanvitau || 39 || kālena kiyatā viprā dānavābhyāṃ yadṛcchayā | dṛṣṭaḥ prajāpatirbrahmā padmāsanagataḥ prabhuḥ || 40 || dṛṣṭvā tu muditāvāstāṃ yuddhakāmau mahābalau | tamūcatustadā tatra yuddhaṃ nau dehi suvrata || 41 || nocetpadmaṃ parityajya yatheṣṭaṃ gaccha māciram | yadi tvaṃ nirbalaścāsi kva yogyaṃ śubhamāsanam || 42 || vīrabhogyamidaṃ sthānaṃ kātaro'si tyajāśu vai | tayoriti vacaḥ śrutvā cintāmāpa prajāpatiḥ || 43 || dṛṣṭvā ca balinau vīrau kiṃ karomīti tāpasaḥ | cintāviṣṭastadā tasthau cintayanmanasā tadā || 44 ||
English translation
1-44. The Risis said “O Saumya! Just now you have spoken of the fight for five thousand years, in that great ocean, between Bhagavan S’auri and Madhu Kaitabha. How was it that the two greatly powerful Danavas, invincible of the Devas came to be born there? And why did Bhagavan Hah kill them? O highly intelligent one! Kindly describe that greatly wonderful event. We all are extremely eager to hear it, and you are the great Pundit and speaker, present before us. It is our good luck that we have come across you here. As the contact with the illiterate is very painful, so the contact with the literate is very happy like nectar. The animals in this world live like illiterates; they eat, call for their nature, void urines and faeces, and know wonderfully well the sexual intercourse. Only they want discriminative knowledge of right and wrong, of the real and unreal, and a knowledge of discrimination, leading to Moksa or final liberation; this is the only point of difference. Therefore the persons that have no liking to hear of Bhagavata and books like it, are like beasts; there is no doubt in this. Behold! Deer and some other animals can enjoy well the sense of hearing like men; and the serpents, though wanting in the organ of hearing, become charmed quite like men, as if tasting the pleasure of hearing sweet sounds. Verily out of the five organs of perception the organ of hearing and the organ of sight are benefitting, for the knowledge of things arises from hearing and the heart is pleased by seeing. Therefore the Pundits divide in three classes, the objects of hearing, as (1) Sattvik, (2) Rajasik and (3) Tamasik. The Vedas and other S’astras are Sattvik; the literature Sahitya is the Rajasik and war news and finding fault with others is Tamasik. The wise persons again sub¬ divide the Sattvik in three sub-classes good, middling and worst. That which gives Moksa is good or excellent; that which gives Heavens is middling and that which gives this worldly pleasure is worst. In the same way, the literature Sahitya is of three kinds
That which describes the people to live with their legitimate wives is the best; which describes about prostitutes is the middling; and that which makes people live with other's wives is the worst.
The seers of Sastras, the learned men divide the subjects of the Tamasik hearing into three classes That in which fight with the enemies is described is best; where the fight, as of the Pandavas, with the enemies out of hatred, ill-feeling, is described is middling; and that where fighting is described without any cause is worst. Therefore, O highly intelligent one! Hearing the Puranas is far superior to hearing other S’astras, for thereby sins are destroyed, intellect is increased and Punyam (good merits) is stored. So, O intelligent one! Kindly describe to us, the Puranas, fulfilling all the requirements of life, that you heard before from the mouth of Krisna Dvaipayana”. Hearing these words of the Risis, Suta said “O highly fortunate ones! When you all are desirous to hear the Puranas and I am ready to tell them, then both of us are blessed on the surface of the earth”. In days of yore, in the time of Pralaya (universal dissolution) when the three lokas and the entire universe dissolved in water, when the Devadeva Janardana was lying asleep on the bed of Ananta, the thousand headed serpent, arose from the was of the ear of Bhagavan Visnu, the two very powerful Daityas Madhu and Kaitabha; they grew in the waters of the ocean and played around in the waters and thus passed some of their time. Once, on a time, when the two huge bodied Danavas were playing with each other like two brothers, they thought that the general rule of the universe is that no effect takes place without a cause and nothing can rest without the receptacle thereof. But we cannot understand what is our receptacle or who is resting on us. Whereon rests this pleasant expanse of wide ocean? Who was it that created this? How was this created? Why are we living here merged within the water? Who created us? and who are our father and mother. Nothing of a these we know. Thus thinking, when they could not come to any conclusion, Kaitabha spoke to Madhu, beside him.
within the waters “O Brother! It seems to me the great immoveable force that makes us rest in this water is the cause of all. This whole mass of water, too, pervaded by that force, rests on that; that Highest Devi must be the Cause of us”.
When the two Asuras, merged in this thought, understood this, they heard in the air the beautiful Vagvija (the seed mantra of Vak, the speech, the Devi Sarasvati). They then began to pronounce repeated the Vagvija mantra and practised it with the great steadfastness. Next they saw, risen high up in the air, the auspicious lightning and thought that certainly our mantra that we are repeating has made Herself visible in this form of light and thus we have seen certainly in the air, the saguna form (form with attributes) of Sarasvati, the goddess of Speech. Thus thinking in their minds they, without any food, with their minds controlled, constantly thought of that, with their whole mind collected on that, and repeating and meditating the mantra became one with that. Thus they passed one thousand years in practising that great tapas; when the Highest Adya S’akti became pleased with them and seeing the two Danavas, steadfast in the practice of Tapas, tired, address them, invisibly in the way of celestial voice thus “O two Danavas! I am exceedingly pleased with your tapasya; so ask boon whatever you desire; I will grant it.” Hearing, then, the celestial voice, thus the two Danavas said “O Devi! O Suvrate! Grant us that we will die wheni/i/e will.” Hearing this, VagdevT said “O two Danavas! Certain by My grace, you two will die when you will and you two brothers will be invincible of all the Suras and Asuras. There is no doubt in this”.
Suta said When the Devi granted them this boon, the two Danavas, puffed up with pride, began to play with the aquatic animals in the ocean. O Brahmins! Some days thus passed away when the two powerful Danavas saw the Brahma, the Prajapati, seated on the lotus of navel of Hah. Doubt came on their minds and they told him with a view to fight“O Suvrata! Either fight with us, or leave off this lotus seat and go any where you like. If you be so weak, this auspicious lotus seat not fit for you. For this should be
enjoyed by the heroes. So if you be a coward, leave it quickly”. Hearing these words of the Danavas, Prajapati, engaged in the practice of Tapasya, saw the two great powerful heroes and began to think anxiously “What should be done now” and waited there.
Thus ends the sixth chapter of the first Skandha on the preparation for war by Madhu Kaitabha in the Mahapurana S’rimad Devi Bhagavatam by Maharsi Veda Vyasa.
Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 24703, revision 353391 (2022-10-01T23:02:57Z). English is Swami Vijñanananda’s complete 1921–23 public-domain translation, controlled against the archival OCR and its chapter page at https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk01ch06.htm. Historic spelling and transliteration are lightly normalized; no verse-by-verse alignment is asserted.