जायते च यदा भूमावुत्पद्यन्ते ह्यनेकशः । तादृशाः पुरुषाः क्रूरा बहवः शस्त्रपाणयः
And whenever that blood fell upon the earth, many fierce men, armed with weapons, would arise from it.
सम्भवन्ति तदाकारास्तद्रूपास्तत्पराक्रमाः । युद्धं पुनस्ते कुर्वन्ति पुरुषा रक्तसम्भवाः
Those men, taking on his very form, appearance, and valor, would again engage in battle, born from his blood.
अतः सोऽपि महावीर्यः संग्रामेऽतीव दुर्जयः । अवध्यः सर्वभूतानां रक्तबीजो महासुरः
Therefore, that mighty Raktabīja was extremely difficult to conquer in battle; the great asura was invulnerable to all beings.
अन्ये च बहवः शूराश्चतुरङ्गसमन्विताः । शुम्भञ्च नृपतिं मत्वा बभूवुस्तस्य सेवकाः
Many other heroic warriors, equipped with fourfold armies, became attendants of Śumbha, considering him their king.
असंख्याता तदा जाता सेना शुम्भनिशुम्भयोः । पृथिव्याः सकलं राज्यं गृहीतं बलवत्तया
At that time, innumerable armies were formed for Śumbha and Niśumbha, and by their strength, they seized the entire kingdom of the earth.
सेनायोगं तदा कृत्वा निशुम्भः परवीरहा । जगाम तरसा स्वर्गे शचीपतिजयाय च
Then Niśumbha, destroyer of enemy heroes, assembled his army and swiftly went to heaven to conquer the lord of Śacī.
चकारासौ महायुद्धं लोकपालैः समन्ततः । वृत्रहा वज्रपातेन ताडयामास वक्षसि
He waged a great battle on all sides with the guardians of the worlds, and Vṛtrahā (Indra), wielder of the thunderbolt, struck him on the chest.
स वज्राभिहतो भूमौ पपात दानवानुजः । भग्नं बलं तदा तस्य निशुम्भस्य महात्मनः
Struck by the thunderbolt, the younger Dānava fell to the ground, and at that moment, the great-souled Niśumbha's army was broken.
भ्रातरं मूर्च्छितं श्रुत्वा शुम्भः परबलार्दनः । तत्रागत्य सुरान्मर्वांस्ताडयामास सायकैः
Hearing that his brother was unconscious, Śumbha, destroyer of enemy hosts, came there and struck the gods and Maruts with arrows.
कृतं युद्धं महत्तेन शुम्भेनाक्लिष्टकर्मणा । निर्जितास्तु सुराः सर्वे सेन्द्राः पालाश्च सर्वशः
Śumbha, whose deeds were effortless, fought a great battle, and all the gods, including Indra and the guardians, were defeated by him.
ऐन्द्रं पदं तदा तेन गृहीतं बलवत्तया । कल्पपादपसंयुक्तं कामधेनुसमन्वितम्
At that time, he seized Indra's throne with great force, along with the wish-fulfilling tree and the cow of plenty.
त्रैलोक्यं यज्ञभागाश्च हृतास्तेन महात्मना । नन्दनं च वनं प्राप्य मुदितोऽभून्महासुरः
The great-souled asura took away the three worlds and their sacrificial shares, and, having obtained the Nandana grove, became delighted.
सुधायाश्चैव पानेन सुखमाप महासुरः । कुबेरं स च निर्जित्य तस्य राज्यं चकार ह
By drinking nectar, the great asura attained happiness; he conquered Kubera and ruled his kingdom.
अधिकारं तथा भानोः शशिनश्च चकार ह । यमञ्चैव विनिर्जित्य जग्राह तत्पदं तथा
He assumed authority over the sun and the moon; having defeated Yama, he took his position as well.
वरुणस्य तथा राज्यं चकार वह्निकर्म च । वायोः कार्यं निशुम्भश्च चकार स्वबलान्वितः
He ruled the kingdom of Varuna and performed the duties of Agni; Niśumbha, empowered by his own strength, carried out the tasks of Vayu.
ततो देवा विनिर्धूता हृतराज्या हृतश्रियः । सन्त्यज्य नन्दनं सर्वे निर्ययुर्गिरिगह्वरे
Then the gods, deprived of their kingdoms and glory, abandoned Nandana and all departed into the mountain caves.
हृताधिकारास्ते सर्वे बभ्रमुर्विजने वने । निरालम्बा निराधारा निस्तेजस्का निरायुधाः
All of them, stripped of authority, wandered in the desolate forest, without support, without refuge, powerless and weaponless.
विचेरुरमराः सर्वे पर्वतानां गुहासु च । उद्यानेषु च शून्येषु नदीनां गह्वरेषु च
All the immortals roamed among the caves of the mountains, in deserted gardens, and in the depths of rivers.
न प्रापुस्ते सुखं वापि स्थानभ्रष्टा विचेतसः । लोकपाला महाराज दैवाधीनं सुखं किल
They did not attain happiness, having lost their positions and confused in mind; O great king, the happiness of the guardians of the worlds is truly dependent on fate.
बलवन्तो महाभागा बहुज्ञा धनसंयुताः । काले दुःखं तथा दैन्यमाप्नुवन्ति नराधिप
Even those who are strong, greatly fortunate, wise, and wealthy, O ruler of men, at times experience suffering and misery.
चित्रमेतन्महाराज कालस्यैव विचेष्टितम् । यः करोति नरं तावद्राजानं भिक्षुकं ततः
This is a wonder, O great king, the activity of Time alone; it makes a man a king for a while, then a beggar thereafter.
दातारं याचकं चैव बलवन्तं तथाबलम् । पण्डितं विकलं कामं शूरं चातीव कातरम्
It turns a giver into a supplicant, the strong into the weak, the learned into the helpless, the passionate into the timid.
मखानाञ्च शतं कृत्वा प्राप्येन्द्रासनमुत्तमम् । पुनर्दुःखं परं प्राप्तं कालस्य गतिरीदृशी
Having performed a hundred sacrifices and attained the supreme throne of Indra, one again meets with great suffering; such is the course of Time.
कालः करोति धर्मिष्ठं पुरुषं ज्ञानसंयुतम् । तमेवातीव पापिष्ठं ज्ञानलेशविवर्जितम्
Time makes a virtuous and wise man exceedingly wicked and devoid of even a trace of wisdom.
न विस्मयोऽत्र कर्तव्यः सर्वथा कालचेष्टिते । ब्रह्मविष्णुहरादीनामपीदृक्कष्टचेष्टितम्
No wonder should be felt at all regarding the actions of Time; even Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and others have experienced such hardships.
विष्णुर्जननमाप्नोति सूकरादिषु योनिषु । हरः कपाली सञ्जातः कालेनैव बलीयसा
Vishnu undergoes birth in the wombs of boars and other creatures; Hara, the skull-bearer, is born by the power of Time alone.
देवकृतदेव्याराधनवर्णनम् व्यास उवाच पराजिताः सुराः सर्वे राज्यं शुम्भः शशास ह । एवं वर्षसहस्रं तु जगाम नृपसत्तम
Vyasa said: All the gods were defeated, and Shumbha ruled the kingdom; thus, O best of kings, a thousand years passed.
भ्रष्टराज्यास्ततो देवाश्चिन्तामापुः सुदुस्तराम् । गुरुं दुःखातुरास्ते तु पप्रच्छुरिदमादृताः
Deprived of their kingdoms, the gods then fell into deep distress; afflicted by sorrow, they respectfully questioned their guru.
किं कर्तव्यं गुरो ब्रूहि सर्वज्ञस्त्वं महामुनिः । उपायोऽस्ति महाभाग दुःखस्य विनिवृत्तये
"Tell us, O guru, what should be done; you are omniscient, O great sage. Is there a way, O greatly fortunate one, to end this suffering?"
उपचारपरा नूनं वेदमन्त्राः सहस्रशः । वाच्छितार्थकरा नूनं सूत्रैः संलक्षिताः किल
Surely, the Vedic mantras, accompanied by countless rituals, are indeed capable of fulfilling desired aims, being marked by their formulas.