Chapter 5
Frustration of the Sacrifice of Daksha:
(1) Maitreya said: 'When Lord S'iva heard from Nârada about the death of Satî because of being insulted by Daksha and that the soldiers of his associates had been driven away by the Ribhus produced from Daksha's sacrificial fire, he showed an unbounded anger. (2) Very angry pressing his lips with his teeth he snatched from a cluster of hair from his head one hair blazing terribly like electricity or fire and immediately standing up Rudra laughed with a deep sound and dashed that hair on the ground. (3) Then a great black man with a sky-high body as bright as three suns combined together appeared that had a thousand arms upholding several kinds of weapons, fearful teeth, a garland of skulls and hair on his head that looked like a burning fire. (4) Upon asking him, the Great Lord, with folded hands: 'What can I do for you, O Lord of the Ghosts?', he was told: 'You as the chief of my associates, o Rudra, o expert of combat born from my body, go and put an end to Daksha and his sacrifice!'
(5) Ordered this way he, angry by the very personification of anger that is worshiped by the godly, circumambulated him, the mighty one, considering himself, endowed with his unopposable power, to be of the greatest power, my dear Vidura, capable of coping with any force against him. (6) Followed by the soldiers of S'iva who roared with a tumultuous sound, he hurried there carrying a trident fearful enough to kill even death and bangles on his ankles that made a loud sound. (7) At that moment the priests, Daksha the leader of the Yajña and all the persons assembled saw, coming from the north, the darkness of a duststorm, upon which the brahmins and their wives began to speculate on where this dust came from: (8) 'The winds don't blow, it can't be plunderers since old King Barhi is still alive to punish them, the cows aren't driven out; so where does this dust come from - does this mean that the world is about to end?'
(9) The women of Daksha headed by Prasûti being very afraid said: 'This is indeed the danger resulting from the sin of, as her Lord and creator, having insulted his completely innocent daughter Satî in the presence of her sisters. (10) But he who at the time of dissolution dances with the bunch of his hair scattered, pierces the rulers of all directions on his trident and laughs aloud dividing those directions with the sound of thunder while raising the weapons in his hands like flags. (11) How could there be good fortune having of Brahmâ caused the anger of him who with an unbearable effulgence full of anger now scatters the luminaries with the unbearable sight of his fearful teeth and the movement of his eyebrows.'
(12) While the people assembled at Daksha's sacrifice were all talking like this, looking around nervously, everywhere and repeatedly could of the great soul countless fearful omens be observed in the sky and on the earth. (13) Quickly, o Vidura, was the arena of sacrifice surrounded by the followers of Rudra with his choice of weapons and were running all around with their short blackish and yellowish sharklike bodies and faces.
(14) Some pulled down the pillars of the pandal while others invaded the female quarters, the sacrificial arena, the residence of the priests and the place where one was cooking. (15) Some shattered the pots used for the sacrifice, some extinguished the fires burning for the sacrifice, some urinated and some tore down the boundary lines demarking the arena. (16) Others blocked the sages their way and some threatened the women and arrested the godly ones nearby in their flight. (17) Manimân got hold of Bhrigu Muni, Vîrabhadra [the great one] caught Prajâpati Daksha, Candes'a arrested Pûshâ and Nandîs'vara arrested the demigod Bhaga. (18) Suffering a hail of stones indeed all the priests, godly ones and other members of the sacrifice seeing this all happening were in great agony and thus had begun to disperse in all directions. (19) Of the muni Bhrigu who held the sacrificial ladle doing oblations did the Lord of S'iva in the midst of the assembly tear of the mustache as he had dared to smile at them. (20) Of Bhaga then that warlord, who had thrust him to the ground with great anger, pluck out his eyes in the presence of the Vis'vasriks, as he had encouraged the cursing of lord S'iva moving his eyebrows. (21) Like Baladeva did with the king of Kalinga [during the gambling match at the marriage ceremony of Aniruddha], he knocked out the teeth of Pûshâ who had shown his teeth smiling during the cursing of S'iva. (22) Though sitting on the chest of Daksha with a sharp blade in order to sever his head, was the three eyed big one not able to succeed. (23) Nor with weapons nor with the help of mantras not even able to cut his skin, he was struck with great bewilderment and thus had Virabhdra to give it a lot of thought. (24) Then he saw the device used for killing the sacrificial animâls and with the help of that he severed the head from the body of the Lord ruling over the sacrifice being an animâl of sacrifice now himself.
(25) At that time seeing him doing that they all, the Bhûtas, Pretas and Pis'âcas of S'iva, cheered joyfully while the followers of Daksha suffered the opposite. (26) Vîrabhadra out of his great anger with Daksha, threw the head as an oblation in the southern part of the sacrificial fire and set fire to all the arrangements of the godly for the sacrifice. Then they departed for Kailâsa, their masters abode ['where the Guhyakas reside'].
Skandham-4.1.
Comments
Post a Comment