100 - Destruction of Daksha’s sacrifice

The sages said:

1. How did lord Parameshvara, Maheshvara at the instance of Dadhicha, behave after conquering all of them along with Vishnu?

Suta said:

2. In the great sacrifice of Daksha, lord Rudra burned Devas along with Vishnu and sages.

3. O sages of good holy rites, his Gana named Bhadra was sent by the lord Parameshthin distressed as he was by the unbearable pangs of separation from the goddess.

4-8. Virabhadra created splendid lords of Ganas born of his hairs. Accompanied by them the valorous Bhadra mounted the chariot of which lord Brahma was the charioteer. He then set out to Daksha’s sacrifice. The leaders of the Ganas with their different weapons followed him in aerial chariots splendid all round. The yard of the sacrifice was near Gangadvara937 on the splendid and charming peak of the Himalayas. O brahmins, the famous and splendid holy centre Kanakhala938 was that spot. This lordly Virabhadra was sent by Parameshthin (i. e. lord Shiva) in order to destroy it. At that time there were portentous calamities indicating fear of danger to the world.

936. Cf. cited in ST

937. Gangadvara— identical with Haradvara is known by various names — Mokshadvara, Mayadvara, etc.

938. Kanakhala — a holy place of pilgrimage near Haradvara. Here the patriarch Daksha performed a sacrifice where Sati the wife of Shiva immolated herself.

9. The mountains crumbled; the earth quaked; the winds whirled to and fro and the ocean became agitated.

10. The fires did not blaze; the sun did not shine; the planets were not illuminated. Neither Devas nor Danavas looked pleased.

11-13. Then, in a trice, Bhadra entered the sacrificial yard accompanied by ganas born of his hairs. He was like a black fire. He spoke to Daksha of unmeasured splendour: — “O Daksha, I have been sent by the Pinaka-bearing lord to burn you today along with the leading sages by mere contact of mine. After saying this the leading Gana burnt that sacrificial chamber.

14. The infuriated leaders of the Ganas uprooted the sacrificial posts and hurled them about along with the Hotru and Prastotru. They burned everything.

15-19. The lords of the Ganas seized them and cast them into the running current of the Ganga. Virabhadra of great splendour and undistressed soul made the hands of Indra and other Devas stunned as they raised them. He uprooted the eyes of Bhaga sportively with the tip of his finger. With his fist he hit the teeth of Pushan and made them fall. He kicked the moon with the toe of his foot. He cut off the head of lord Indra. After cutting off the hands of Agni and after uprooting his tongue sportively he kicked him on his head with his leg.

20-24. He cut off the staff of Yama. He hit lord Ishana939 a guardian of the quarters of great strength by means of his trident. Without any difficulty he killed thirty-three Devas thus. Sportingly he killed three thousand three hundred and thirty. three Devas 940 along with the three leading Devas. He killed the leading sages too. This lord killed those Devas who stood in readiness for fighting. Lord Rudra hit them with his fist, swords, arrows and other things. Then Vishnu of great splendour and intensified strength lifted up his discus, and fought with Rudra. A terrible fight ensued between them. It made hairs to stand on end.

939, Ishanam — a guardian of the quarters, Ishana by name, who was struck by Virabhadra.

940. trayan chaiva. the three: India, Agni, and Soma.

25-30. Thanks to his yogic power, innumerable and divine bodies with conch, discus and iron clubs in their hands were born of Vishnu. They were equal to him in lustre. Lord Virabhadra killed all of them by means of his iron club and hit Vishnu on the head. Then he sportively hit him on the chest, he fell senseless on the ground. The lord got up again and lifted up his discus to kill him. He stood there gloriously with his eyes reddened with anger. Virabhadra of undistressed soul stunned his terrible discus that had the lustre of black sun and which he had kept in his hand. He did not move. He stood stunned thereby motionless like a mountain.

31. The bow of the lord was attacked with three hits and it split into three. Through contact with the tips of the bits of the bow he cut off the head of the lord.

32-37. His head that was cut off fell quickly into the nether worlds wafted by the wind originating from the vital breaths of the Pinaka-bearing lord. At that time the Ahavaniya fire too entered there. On seeing the great sacrificial hall utterly in disarray with the sacred vessels destroyed, sacrificial posts broken along with the arched gateway, and the great hall burned, sacrifice fled. As it fled towards the sky in the guise of a deer, Virabhadra seized and beheaded it. Thereafter the powerful Virabhadra kicked the following on their heads, viz. — Prajapati, Dharma, Kashyapa the preceptor of the universe, Arishtanemi the leading sage with his sons, sage Angiras, Krishnashva and the renowned Daksha. O excellent brahmins, he cut off Daksha’s head and burned it in the fire.

38-40 The valorous Virabhadra then slit off the tip of the nose of Sarasvati of the mother of Devas with the tip of his finger. He stood in their midst, covered with glory like Shiva in the cremation ground.

In the meantime, Brahma of great splendour bowed down to him and imploringly addressed Bhadra thus: “O Bhadra, enough of your wrath. All the heaven-dwellers are already destroyed.

41-46. O deity of good holy rites, be pleased. May every-body be forgiven by you along with those born of your hairs. Thanks to the influence of Brahma, Paramesthin, he gradually calmed down. At his behest he became quiescent.

The bull-emblemed lord Shiva appeared in the firmament accompanied by his Ganas. On being requested by lord Brahma, the great lord of all the worlds the bestower of everything gave back their own respective bodies to those who were killed. He gave back the head to Indra, to Vishnu, to Daksha and to the leading sages and others. He gave back the tip of the nose to the goddess Sarasvati and to the mother of Devas. He gave back life to all those who were destroyed. He granted them boons and presents. He sportively made another face similar to the head of Daksha whose face had been destroyed.941

941. The head of Daksha, that was smashed by Virabbadra, was substituted by Shiva with the bead of sacrificial animal.

47-51. Daksha regained consciousness and got up. With palms joined in reverence he eulogised the bull-bannered lordof the chiefs of Devas. On being eulogised by him the lord of great splendour granted him different boons. He bestowed the chieftaincy of Ganas upon Daksha of undistressed activities. Devas eulogised lord Narayana with palms joined in reverence. Brahma and the sages severally eulogised the bull-bannered, blue-necked lord who was the chief of Devas, and the cause of the origin of Brahma. After blessing those Devas, the supreme lord vanished.