10 - The Creation and The Life of Durjaya

Varãha said:

1. After creating all the worlds thus, the benevolent Lord, stopped the endeavour- Then the creation, O Earth, is increased itself.

2-3. When the creation was developed, the gods pleased the venerable Vishnu by performing devoutly many sacrifices in all the Dvipas (islands or continents) and countries.

4. As thousands of years passed, the God became pleased and appeared before them.

5. The God having many hands, bellies, faces and eyes and resembling the peak of a big mountain, asked them. “What shall I do for you? Please seek a boon from me, O gods!” 

The gods said:

6-7. Be victorious, O great! We seek this boon from you. Even in the world of men, you alone are worshipped by all and none of us is worshipped by any. The moon, the sun, Vasus, Sädhyas, Višhvedevas, Ašhvins, Maruts, fire—all these have sought shelter in you. O embodiment of all beings, please make us venerable for men.

8. Hearing this, the great lord Vishnu told them: “I shall make all of you venerable”. Saying this, He disappeared.

9. The eternal gods also went home uttering hymns in his praise. The great Lord assumed three aspects. 

10. Becoming three fold thus the great Lord worshipped the gods, with Sättvika, Räjasa and Tämasa forms.

11. Vishnu recited the Vedas in Sättvika mood and pcrf0med sacrifices to the gods.

12. He worshipped with great devotion Rudra in the form of Käla (time) having a trident in his hand, in the Räjasa form.

13. And he attamed his Tämasa form in Asuras.

14. Thus the great Lord of the world taking three kinds of forms worshipped the gods. Then the world also became varied.

15. In this manner Vishnu established the names of great gods. In Krutayuga He is Narayana.

16. In Tretäyuga He is Rudra and in Dväparayuga Yajñamürti, the form of sacrifice. In Kaliyuga the God Narayana attains many forms.

17. Hear from me, O fair damsel, the story of the great God, the first creation.

18. In Krutayuga there lived a powerful king by name Supratika. He had two beautiful queens.

19. Their names were Vidyutprabhä and Käntimati. Though he was very healthy, he did not get a son by either of these wives.

20. So, he offered worship in the prescribed manner to the great sinless sage Ätreya in the famous mountain Chitraküta.

21. Pleased at his long and steady worship, the sage Ätreya spoke to him with the intention of giving him a boon.

22. At that time the mighty Indra seated on his elephant accompanied by an army of gods, passed by him without showing him respect.

23. Seeing this the sage got offended and he cursed Indra.

24. “Since you have shown disrespect to me, O stupid lord of heaven, you will lose your kingdom and you will have to live in another world.”

25-27. Having uttered this, the sage told king Supratïka:  king, you will get a son valiant like Indra. He will be endowed with weålth, prowess, and spiritual knowledge and he will be a performer of brave deeds. He will have great strength and will have the name Durjaya”. Saying this, the sage went away.

28. The righteous king Supratika got his queen Vidyutprabhä pregnant. In due course, she gave birth to a child who was very strong and was given the name Durjaya.

29. The sage himself performed the ceremonies in connection with his birth.

30. As a result of the sage’s rites, the child became gentle, righteous and proficient in the Vedas and Šhästras.

31. Käntimatï, the second queen of the great king Supratika also gave birth to a child by name Sudyumna who also became well versed in the Vedas and Vedäñgas.

32-33. As time went on, Supratika, the mighty king Of Väränasï, seeing his son Durjaya becoming mature and himself old, O Earth, thought that Durjaya was to be crowned king.

34. Thinking thus, the righteous king bestowed on his son the kingdom and he himself went to the mountain Chitraküta.

35. Adding to his great kingdom more elephants, horses and chariots, king Durjaya thought about the widening of its boundaries.

36. Thinking thus the intelligent king assembled an army consisting of elephants, horses, chariots and soldiers and went to the northern quarters.

37-38. All the countries in the northern quarters were captured by the great king. Then he won over this country, Bhärata. Subsequently the countries Kimpurusha, and   were seized by him.

39. Then he captured all the countries around mount Meru like Romävata, Kuru, Bhadrašhva and Ilävruta.

40. After having seized this Jambüdvipa, the king went to conquer Indra with all the gods.

41. Sage Närada, son of Brahma, climbing on the mount Meru told Indra the gods, demons, Gandharvas, Guhyakas, Kinnaras about the victorious advance of Durjaya (over the whole Jambüdvïpa).

42-43. As soon as he heard this, Indra along with the lordš of the quarters set out to kill Durjaya. Climbing the mountain Meru, he came to the earth, the abode of mortals.

44. Lord Indra accompanied by the lords of quarters stood in the east. It was then that the wonderful exploits of Durjaya occurred. 

45. After conquering the gods, Durjaya made his camp in the table-lands of the mount Gandhamädana.

At that time two ascetics came there to see Durjaya.

46. They told him: “O king Durjaya, all the lords of quarters have been driven away by you. Without them the world cannot get on. So please give us their exalted position.”

47-48. Requested thus, the righteous king Durjaya asked them: “Who are you?” They replied: “We are Asuras by name Vidyut and Suvidyut. We wish the righteousness well set by you among the good.

49. O Durjaya, we shall do all the duties of the protectors of the quarters.”

50. On hearing their words, Durjaya appointed them in heaven as the protectors of directions. Then both of them disappeared. O Earth, they did their work well.

51. On the mount Mandara the great king Durjaya found the celestial garden (Chitraratha) of Kubera which was like the Nandana garden (of Indra).

52. While he was on a stroll in that beautiful garden he saw there under a golden tree two girls.

53-54. They were wonderfully charming and he stood there for a moment wondering who they could be. Just then he saw two sages.

55. Seeing them the king with great joy got down from his elephant quickly and prostrated at their feet.

56. He sat down and gave them two seats of Kušha grass. They asked him: ‘‘Who are you? Wherefrom have you come here and what for.”

57. With a smiling face the king replied: ‘‘A famous king by name Supratika was ruling. I am his son named Durjaya.

58. With a desire to defeat all the kings in the world, I came here.

59. O excellent sages, who are you? Be pleased to tell me your names?’

The sages said:

60. We are Hetru and Prahetru, sons of Sväyambhuva Manu. To destroy gods, we went to the mountain Meru.

61. There we won many times the huge army of gods consisting of elephants, horses and chariots.

62-63. Seeing their army destroyed by the demons, the gods, seeking shelter, went to the bank of the Milky ocean where the great lord Vishnu was sleeping. Saluting the Lord, the gods requested Him:

64. “O God Vishnu, please protect our frightened army defeated by the demons.

65. It is you, O Kešhava (destroyer of the demon Kešhin) who, long ago, in the war between the gods and demons, protected us from the attack of the eternal thousand-armed Kälanemi.

66. Here also, O great Lord, there are two demons by name Hetru and Prahetru being accompanied by a huge army and they are oppressing us all. Killing both these, O great God, the protector of the worlds, please save us.”

67. Hearing this, Vishnu, the great Lord of the worlds told them: “I shall go to kill them”.

68. Being told by Him thus, the gods waited there by the mountain Meru meditating on Him Who was the destroyer of the mischievous people.

69-70. Soon the mighty God having a mace in His hand entered into our army multiplying himself into one, ten, hundred, thousand, lakh and crore by his miraculous power.

71. As the mighty God stood in the middle of our army in this manner, every soldier in our army began to fall down dead.

72-73. Thus within a few minutes, our fourfold army having flesh and blood and full of soldiers and flag staffs was destroyed by the magical power of the God, the embodiment of all beings. Then seeing us only remaining, the God with a disc in his arm, disappeared.

74. We saw this wonderful act of the God having the Särañga-bow in his hand. Then we sought shelter in him and worshipped him.

75-76. You are the son of our friend king Supratïka. These two are our daughters. Please accept both these, O great king. Hetru’s daughter is Sukešhi and Prahetru’s Mišhrakešhi.

77. When Hetru said thus, king Durjaya received those two girls as his queens for the sake of righteousness.

78. Marrying them the joyful king returned to his own kingdom accompanied by his army.

79. In course of time, he got two sons by his two wives Prabhava by Sukešhi, and Sudaršhana by Mišhrakešhï.

80. Having got the two auspicious sons, the wealthy king Durjaya, as he became old, went to the forest.

81-82. As he was living in the forest driving away wild beasts, he found a sinless and auspicious sage by name Gauramukha performing penance who was the protector of hermits as well as the sinful men.

83. The sage’s penance-grove with ponds full of pure water and with big trees imparting fragrance to the breeze shone like a cloud descended from the sky to the earth.

84. There was in his hermitage fire blazing with flames upwards brightening the sky, a grinder covered by pure white cloths; Säma-hymns sung by his disciples, lovely hermitage girls, and all the trees with full-blown flowers.