Sṛṣṭi-khaṇḍa · Chapter 71
Sourceव्यास उवाच- अथान्यो नमुचिः क्रुद्धः स्यंदनस्थो दिवौकसः। विशिखैरर्दयामस घोरैराशीविषोपमैः१। ततस्तु संयुगे देवाः सिद्धकिन्नरपन्नगाः। न शक्नुवंति बाणानां वेगं सोढुं समंततः२। रथमुच्चैश्श्रवोश्वेन युक्तं मातलिनेरितम्। पुरुहूतः समास्थाय प्रागमत्तं महाबलम्३। दृष्ट्वा शक्रं महावीर्यं नमुचिर्दैत्यपुंगवः। अब्रवीद्वासवं संख्ये वचनं सानुगं तदा४। प्राकृतं निर्जरं हत्वा न यशोस्ति न च प्रियम्। न लाभकृतकं वापि न जयस्तु पुरष्टुत५। तस्मात्वयि हतेत्रैव सर्वं भवति शाश्वतम्। देवराज्यं प्रलप्स्यामि सुखं भोग्यं सुरालये६। तमब्रवीन्महातेजाः शक्रः परपुरंजयः। शूरता वाक्यमात्रेण सर्वत्र सुलभा भवेत्७। महापराक्रमं यद्वा अस्ति ते दानवाधम। दर्शयस्वाहवे वीर्यं पुरं नेष्यामि भास्करेः८। एतच्छ्रुत्वा महातेजाश्चुकोप दैत्यपुंगवः। पंचभिर्निशितैर्बाणैर्जघान सुरसत्तमम्९। तांस्तु चिच्छेद मघवा क्षुरप्रैः पंचभिर्द्रुतम्। जग्मतुस्तौ महावीर्यौ समरे विषयैषिणौ१०। अन्योन्यं सहसा वेगाच्छरैश्चिच्छिदतुः शरान्। बिभिदातेथ गात्राणि विशिखैर्भिदुरोपमैः११। अत्यपूर्वं कृतं कर्म ताभ्यामेव रणे भृशम्। लाघवं शरसंधान ग्रहमोक्षं सुदुर्लभम्१२। दृष्ट्वा तु विस्मयं जग्मुर्देवासुरगणास्तदा। एतस्मिन्नंतरे दैत्यो मायास्संप्रमुमोच ह१३। विशिखाः शतशस्तत्र विनिश्चेरुस्समंततः। शक्रः कोपात्पुनः शीघ्रं धनुरुद्यम्य वीर्यवान्१४। जघान विशिखैरुग्रैः सर्वगात्रेषु संज्वलन्। ततो मार्गणसाहस्रैरष्टभिस्त्वधिकं तथा१५। बिभिदाते ततोन्योन्यं चिच्छिदाते परस्परम्। शरैर्निरंतराकाशं ददृशुस्तत्र संयुगे१६। निपतंति धरापृष्ठे खड्गपातैः सहस्रशः। एवं सुदीर्घकाले तु गते तस्मिन्महाहवे१७। मायास्त्रं दर्शयामास क्रूरकृन्नमुचिस्तदा। तामसं त्रिषुलोकेषु कृतं स्यात्तु निरंतरम्१८। परस्परं न पश्यंति देवासुरगणा भृशम्। सूर्यचंद्रग्रहाणां च वह्नीनां च दिवौकसाम्१९। तस्मिंस्तमसि दुष्पारे गभस्तिर्नैव दृश्यते। दैत्यस्य च ततस्तूर्णं शरैरग्निशिखोपमैः२०। विभग्नाः सर्वदेवाश्च शक्रश्चरणसंमुखे। शरैर्विभिन्नदेहास्तु निपेतुर्धरणीतले२१। प्रभग्नाश्चापरे शूरास्संयांति च दिशो दश। कूटं तस्य परिज्ञाय सर्वदेवार्चितो हरिः२२। सौम्यमस्त्रं मुमोचाथ दिवि सूर्यशतप्रभम्। विलंबितं समालोक्य शक्त्या च बहुघंटया२३। जघानोरसि दैत्यस्य स पपात व्यथान्वितः। चिरात्संलभ्य संज्ञां च दैतेयः क्रोधमूर्च्छितः२४। गत्वा वेगात्सुरश्रेष्ठमैरावतं दधार ह। त्रासयामास सुतरामिंद्रस्य द्विरदं रुषा२५। धृत्वा स तु गजं सेंद्रं मुमोच धरणीतले। ततो भूमिगतः शक्रः कश्मलं च क्षणं गतः२६। अवप्लुत्य स दैत्येंद्रो गजदंतांतरस्थितः। शक्रं ग्रहीतुकामस्य वधार्थं यूथपस्य सः२७। असिनाऽसुरमुख्यस्य शिरश्छित्वा न्यपातयत्। सर्वे प्रजहृषुर्देवा गंधर्वा ललितं जगुः। मुदितास्ते च मुनयः स्तुवंति सुरसत्तमम्२८। इति श्रीपाद्मपुराणे प्रथमे सृष्टिखंडे द्वितीय नमुचिवधोनामैकसप्ततितमोऽध्यायः७१।
vyāsa uvāca- athānyo namuciḥ kruddhaḥ syaṃdanastho divaukasaḥ| viśikhairardayāmasa ghorairāśīviṣopamaiḥ1| tatastu saṃyuge devāḥ siddhakinnarapannagāḥ| na śaknuvaṃti bāṇānāṃ vegaṃ soḍhuṃ samaṃtataḥ2| rathamuccaiśśravośvena yuktaṃ mātalineritam| puruhūtaḥ samāsthāya prāgamattaṃ mahābalam3| dṛṣṭvā śakraṃ mahāvīryaṃ namucirdaityapuṃgavaḥ| abravīdvāsavaṃ saṃkhye vacanaṃ sānugaṃ tadā4| prākṛtaṃ nirjaraṃ hatvā na yaśosti na ca priyam| na lābhakṛtakaṃ vāpi na jayastu puraṣṭuta5| tasmātvayi hatetraiva sarvaṃ bhavati śāśvatam| devarājyaṃ pralapsyāmi sukhaṃ bhogyaṃ surālaye6| tamabravīnmahātejāḥ śakraḥ parapuraṃjayaḥ| śūratā vākyamātreṇa sarvatra sulabhā bhavet7| mahāparākramaṃ yadvā asti te dānavādhama| darśayasvāhave vīryaṃ puraṃ neṣyāmi bhāskareḥ8| etacchrutvā mahātejāścukopa daityapuṃgavaḥ| paṃcabhirniśitairbāṇairjaghāna surasattamam9| tāṃstu ciccheda maghavā kṣurapraiḥ paṃcabhirdrutam| jagmatustau mahāvīryau samare viṣayaiṣiṇau10| anyonyaṃ sahasā vegāccharaiścicchidatuḥ śarān| bibhidātetha gātrāṇi viśikhairbhiduropamaiḥ11| atyapūrvaṃ kṛtaṃ karma tābhyāmeva raṇe bhṛśam| lāghavaṃ śarasaṃdhāna grahamokṣaṃ sudurlabham12| dṛṣṭvā tu vismayaṃ jagmurdevāsuragaṇāstadā| etasminnaṃtare daityo māyāssaṃpramumoca ha13| viśikhāḥ śataśastatra viniścerussamaṃtataḥ| śakraḥ kopātpunaḥ śīghraṃ dhanurudyamya vīryavān14| jaghāna viśikhairugraiḥ sarvagātreṣu saṃjvalan| tato mārgaṇasāhasrairaṣṭabhistvadhikaṃ tathā15| bibhidāte tatonyonyaṃ cicchidāte parasparam| śarairniraṃtarākāśaṃ dadṛśustatra saṃyuge16| nipataṃti dharāpṛṣṭhe khaḍgapātaiḥ sahasraśaḥ| evaṃ sudīrghakāle tu gate tasminmahāhave17| māyāstraṃ darśayāmāsa krūrakṛnnamucistadā| tāmasaṃ triṣulokeṣu kṛtaṃ syāttu niraṃtaram18| parasparaṃ na paśyaṃti devāsuragaṇā bhṛśam| sūryacaṃdragrahāṇāṃ ca vahnīnāṃ ca divaukasām19| tasmiṃstamasi duṣpāre gabhastirnaiva dṛśyate| daityasya ca tatastūrṇaṃ śarairagniśikhopamaiḥ20| vibhagnāḥ sarvadevāśca śakraścaraṇasaṃmukhe| śarairvibhinnadehāstu nipeturdharaṇītale21| prabhagnāścāpare śūrāssaṃyāṃti ca diśo daśa| kūṭaṃ tasya parijñāya sarvadevārcito hariḥ22| saumyamastraṃ mumocātha divi sūryaśataprabham| vilaṃbitaṃ samālokya śaktyā ca bahughaṃṭayā23| jaghānorasi daityasya sa papāta vyathānvitaḥ| cirātsaṃlabhya saṃjñāṃ ca daiteyaḥ krodhamūrcchitaḥ24| gatvā vegātsuraśreṣṭhamairāvataṃ dadhāra ha| trāsayāmāsa sutarāmiṃdrasya dviradaṃ ruṣā25| dhṛtvā sa tu gajaṃ seṃdraṃ mumoca dharaṇītale| tato bhūmigataḥ śakraḥ kaśmalaṃ ca kṣaṇaṃ gataḥ26| avaplutya sa daityeṃdro gajadaṃtāṃtarasthitaḥ| śakraṃ grahītukāmasya vadhārthaṃ yūthapasya saḥ27| asinā'suramukhyasya śiraśchitvā nyapātayat| sarve prajahṛṣurdevā gaṃdharvā lalitaṃ jaguḥ| muditāste ca munayaḥ stuvaṃti surasattamam28| iti śrīpādmapurāṇe prathame sṛṣṭikhaṃḍe dvitīya namucivadhonāmaikasaptatitamo'dhyāyaḥ71|
English translation
Vyāsa said :
1. Then another angry Namuci , seated in his chariot, struck the gods with arrows resembling serpents.
2. So in the war the gods, Siddhas . Kinnaras and snakes could not tolerate the force of the arrows from all sides.
3. Having got into the chariot to which (the horse) Uccaiḥśravas [1] was yoked, and which was driven by Mātali , Indra went to that very powerful demon.
4. Seeing Indra with his attendants in the war, the best of the demons then said to Indra:
5-6. “By killing an ordinary god there is no glory, nor it is pleasing. O Indra, there is no sufficient gain,nor victory. So everything will be everlasting when you are killed here. In heaven I shall obtain the kingdom of gods and happiness fit to be enjoyed.”
7-8 Indra, of great lustre and conqueror of the enemies’ cities, said to him: “Bravery merely by (uttering) words (i.e. merely in words) is easily available everywhere. O meanest demon, if you have great valour, show your power in the battle. I shall take you to the house of the Sun’s son (i.e. of Yama ).”
9. Hearing this, the greatest demon, possessing great lustre, got angry. He hit the best god with five sharp arrows.
10. Indra quickly cut them off with five sharp-edged arrows. The very mighty two desiring (to acquire) kingdom fought with each other.
11. They (rushed at) each other with great speed, and (each one) cut off (the other’s) arrows with his own arrows. They also (hit) each other’s bodies with arrows resembling a thunderbolt.
12-13a. The two greatly performed a very unprecedented feat in battle. Seeing their very rare dexterity, taking aim with the arrow, holding and despatching (a missile) gods and hosts of demons became amazed.
13b-15a. In the meanwhile the demon let loose illusions. There hundreds of arrows moved from all sides. Powerful Indra, again, with anger quickly raised his bow and hit him with arrows on all his limbs, burning them.
15b-16. Then with more than eight thousand arrows, they pierced and hit each other. They saw there in the battle, the sky compact with arrows.
17-18a. Many (hit) with the strokes of swords dropped down in thousands on the ground. The cruel Namuci demonstrated his illusory missile in the war which went on for a long time.
18b-20a. He created a dense darkness in the three worlds. Gods and hosts of demons could not see one another. In that dense darkness difficult to cross, no ray was seen issuing forth from the planets like the Sun, the Moon and the heavenly fires.
20b-21. In that battle, all gods and Indra also were quickly shattered with the demon's arrows (i.e. of the arrows discharged by the demon) resembling flames of fire. With their bodies pierced with the arrows (discharged by the demon) they fell on the ground.
22-23a. Other brave (gods) were defeated and went (i.e. ran) into the ten directions. Knowing his trick, Viṣṇu , who was worshipped by all gods, discharged a mild weapon, lustrous like a hundred suns, in the sky.
23b-25. Seeing that it was retarded, he hit on the chest of the demon with a śakti having many bells. Full of agony he dropped down. Having regained consciousness after a long time, the demon, who was filled with anger, went speedily to the best of gods and seized Airāvataṇ Angrily he very much frightened Indra’s elephant.
26. Seizing the elephant with Indra (on its back) he dropped him on the ground. Then Indra, who had gone to (i.e. fallen on) the ground was depressed for a moment.
27-28. The lord of the demons jumped and remained between the tusks of the elephant. To kill him, Indra cut off, with his sword, the head of the chief of the demon-troops, and caused him to fall on the ground. All gods were very much delighted, and Gandharvas sang charming music. Sages, who were pleased. praised the best god.
[1]: [1] : Uccaiḥśravā—Name of Indra’s horse, produced at the churning of the ocean. It is regarded as the prototype and king of horses.
Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 45225, revision 334619 (2022-04-06T19:38:26Z). English is N. A. Deshpande’s complete translation, controlled against its chapter page at https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-padma-purana/d/doc364194.html and the ten-volume archival witness. The witnesses are aligned at chapter level; no unsupported verse-by-verse equivalence is asserted.