Radha Krishna - Chapter 11: The Dânavas Annihilated and Revived

(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'When thereafter by the grace of the Supreme Personality the Suras had regained their spirits, Indra, Vâyu and the others without hesitation resumed the fight against the troops who formerly had driven them back in the battle. (2) When the so very mighty Indra angry with the son of Virocana [Bali] took up his thunderbolt, all his people cried: 'Alas, alas!' (3) He who sober and well equipped moved about on the battlefield was by him who carries the thunderbolt opposed and rebuked as follows: (4) 'You cheater, you fool, with your magic you try to be of control and win with illusions, you try to conquer us who have mastered the illusion, as if we were children whose possessions you can take by diverting their attention! (5) Those who desire to advance and be free by deceptive means, such enemies of the gods, I bring down, such fools I deny the positions they have taken. (6) I am the one who today will put an end to you and your jugglery by severing your head with my hundred-jagged thunderbolt. You wicked soul with your buddies... just step forward!'

(7) Bali retorted: 'All present here on this battlefield are subjected to the rule of time and successively acquire with what they do a reputation, achieve a victory, suffer defeat and find their death. (8) Because the entire world is moved by time, an enlightened soul who sees this will not rejoice or complain. In that sense you all have pretty much lost your way [compare B.G. 2: 11]! (9) We who manage to control ourselves in that respect, reject these embarrassing words of yours that the saintly feel sorry for.'

(10) S'rî S'uka said: 'After as a valiant hero thus having chided the mighty Indra, Bali the subduer of the greatest, attacked him again with iron arrows on his bow that he drew up to his ear in the process. (11) The god who thus was derided by his silver-tongued enemy, did, just like an elephant that is beaten with a rod, not care about the lesson he taught him. (12) When the master of destruction [Indra] used the infallible bolt against him [Bali] he, being struck, crashed with his heavenly vehicle to the ground like a mountain with its wings being clipped. (13) Seeing that his mate had fallen his most intimate friend and well-wisher Jambha stepped forward in solidarity with his hurt companion. (14) He, a man of superpower riding the lion, took position with his club and hit Indra and his elephant with great force on the shoulder. (15) Struck by the great blow the elephant sank stunned down to its knees and hit the earth unconscious. (16) When Indra's driver Mâtali thereupon brought his chariot that was drawn by a thousand horses, he mounted the vehicle and left his elephant behind. (17) In appreciation of the chariot driver's service [Jambhâsura,] the best of the Dânavas smiled and struck him [the driver] in the fight with his fire blazing trident. (18) Mâtali bracing himself, managed to tolerate the excruciating pain, but Indra most infuriated decapitated Jambha with his thunderbolt. (19) When Jambhâsura's kin heard from Nârada rishi that he had been slain, Namuci, Bala and Pâka hurried over there as fast as they could. (20) With gross insults cursing Indra to hurt him in the heart, they besieged him with arrows that rained down like a torrent of rain over a mountain. (21) The thousand horses of the king of heaven were assailed by as many arrows that were all quickly launched at once. (22) With the two hundred arrows that next to that by Pâka all at once were aimed and released against Mâtali and the chariot with all its upkeep, thus a most remarkable feat could be witnessed in the battle. (23) Namuci contributed with fifteen gold-feathered all-powerful arrows that cutting through the air made a noise over the field like a thundercloud full of rain. (24) The Asuras covered Indra and his chariot driver from all sides with a dense shower of arrows that covered the sun just like clouds during the rainy season do [see also 4.10: 13]. (25) Like traders shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean, the entire assembly of demigods and their retinue who could not discern him any longer, bereft of their leader began to wail under the pressure and intimidation of the superiority of the enemy. (26) Thereupon did Indra, he who overpowers the mighty ones, to their delight manage to free himself from the hull of arrows together with his horses, chariot, flag and driver, radiating in all the directions of the sky and the earth with an effulgence resembling the sun at the end of the night.

(27)

When the godhead saw how his army in the battle was oppressed by the enemy, he fuming of anger took up his thunderbolt to kill his opponents. (28) Before the eyes of their family members, he then, in order to create fear in them oh King, with the bolt severed the heads of the trunks of Bala and Pâka. (29) Namuci witnessing the two being slaughtered, grieved over them and enraged made a great attempt to kill Indra oh lord of men. (30) With an iron spear hung with bells and decorated with gold in his hand he strode in fury against Indra roaring like a lion: 'And now you're dead' and struck. (31) The lord [of the gods, Indra] who saw it descending from the sky with great speed, smashed it to pieces [in its flight] oh King, while the demon himself from a fuming Indra received the thunderbolt on his shoulder in order to cut off his head. (32) But the powerful bolt, the same weapon that in the past by the king of the gods so successfully was used to pierce Vritrâsura [6.12: 25], could not even scratch his skin. That defiance of Namuci's neck was an extraordinarily wondrous thing. (33) With the bolt thus rendered ineffective Indra became very afraid of the enemy and wondered: 'What is this? By what superior force could this to the eyes of everyone so miraculous thing happen? (34) With this same bolt I formerly cut off the wings of mountains that by those wings killed people when they with their great weight descended on earth. (35) Vritrâsura who was so powerful with the austerities of Tvashthâ [see 6.9: 11] was killed by it, just as many other powerful characters impervious to all other weapons. (36) And now that bolt, strong as a brahmâstra, is repelled after being released against a less important demon. Rendered as useless as a rod, I can wield it no longer.'

(37) Indra who this way was lamenting, out of the blue was addressed by a voice that said: 'With this Dânava it is thus arranged that he cannot be annihilated by anything dry or wet. (38) He would not die by something moist or dry because of a benediction I granted him and therefore oh Indra, you must think of some other means to deal with your enemy.'

(39) After having heard that ominous voice Lord Indra meditated most attentively and arrived thereupon at the insight that foam had to be the means that was neither dry nor wet. (40) Thus he forced through Namuci's throat the weapon that was wet nor dry, upon which all the sages most pleased covered the almighty one with flower garlands. (41) The two leading singers of heaven Vis'vâvasu and Parâvasu sang hymns, the godly ones sounded kettledrums and the heavenly dancers danced in bliss. (42) Vâyu, Agni, Varuna and others nevertheless vigorously started to eliminate the other belligerent Asuras, as if they were lions killing deer. (43) Devarishi Nârada Muni was by Lord Brahmâ sent to the demigods oh King, to forbid the ones in power the total annihilation of the Dânavas he saw taking place. (44) S'rî Nârada said: 'Under the protection of the arms and the fortune [the goddess] of Nârâyana you all procured the nectar. Since you all thus flourished you now must stop with this fighting!'

(45) S'uka said: 'Controlling their aggravation and anger they accepted the words of the sage and returned, being hailed by their followers, all to their heavenly abodes. (46) They who had survived the battle picked up the lifeless body of Bali [as also the rest of the ones who had fallen] and all went, with Nârada's permission, to the mountain called Asta. (47) At that place the ones who had still their limbs and their head were by S'ukrâcârya [4.1: 45, 6.7: 18, 7.5: 1, 7.10: 33] resuscitated by means of his knowledge of the Samjîvanî prayer, his science of reanimation. (48) Also Bali was brought back by the touch of Us'anâ, but despite of the fact that he was defeated, he with his experience in worldly affairs did not lament [it to regain] his memory and senses.'