Varaha Purana

देवा ऊचुः । अन्धकेनार्दिताः सर्वे वयं देवा जगत्पते । त्राहि सर्वांश्चतुर्वक्त्र पितामह नमोऽस्तु ते ।। २७.

The gods said: O Lord of the world, we gods are all afflicted by Andhaka; protect us all, O four-faced grandsire, our reverence to you.

ब्रह्मोवाच । अन्धकान्नैव शक्तोऽहं त्रातुं वै सुरसत्तमाः । भवं शर्वं महादेवं व्रजाम शरणार्थिनः ।। २७.

Brahmā said: O best of gods, I am not able to protect you from Andhaka; let us go to mighty Śarva, the great god, to seek refuge.

किन्तु पूर्वं मया दत्तो वरस्तस्य सुरोत्तमाः । अवध्यस्त्वं हि भविता न शरीरं स्पृशेन्महीम् ।। २७.

But earlier, O best of gods, I granted him a boon: he would be invulnerable, unless his body touched the earth.

तस्यैवं बलिनस्त्वेको हन्ता रुद्रः परंतपः । तत्र गच्छामहे सर्वे कैलासनिलयं प्रभुम् ।। २७.

Yet, among all, Rudra alone, the fierce destroyer, can slay that powerful one; let us all go to the Lord who dwells on Kailāsa.

एवमुक्त्वा ययौ ब्रह्मा सदेवो भवसन्निधौ । तस्य संदर्शनाद् रुद्रः प्रत्युत्थानादिकाः क्रियाः । कृत्वाभ्युवाच देवेशो ब्रह्माणं भुवनेश्वरम् ।। २७.

Having spoken thus, Brahmā, along with the gods, went to the presence of Bhava; seeing them, Rudra performed the rites of welcome and addressed Brahmā, Lord of the world.

शंभुरुवाच । किं कार्यं देवताः सर्वा आगता मम सन्निधौ । येनाहं तत्करोम्याशु आज्ञा कार्या हि सत्वरम् ।। २७.

Shambhu said: What is to be done, O all you gods, who have come into my presence? Tell me what it is, and I will do it at once; your command must be carried out quickly.

देवा ऊचुः । रक्षस्व देव बलिनस्त्वन्धकाद् दुष्टचेतसः ।। २७.

The gods said: Protect us, O Lord, from the powerful Andhaka, whose mind is wicked.

यावदेवं सुरा सर्वे शंसन्ति परमेष्ठिनः । तावत् सैन्येन महता तत्रैवान्धक आययौ ।। २७.

While all the gods were thus speaking to the supreme lord, at that very moment Andhaka arrived there with a great army.

बलेन चतुरङ्गेण हन्तुकामो भवं मृधे । तस्य भार्यां गिरिसुतां हर्तुमिच्छन् ससाधनः ।। २७.

With a fourfold force, desiring to kill Bhava in battle, he came, equipped, wishing to seize his wife, the daughter of the mountain.

तं दृष्ट्वा सहसाऽयान्तं देवशक्रप्रहारिणम् । सन्नह्य सहसा देवा रुद्रस्यानुचरा भवन् ।। २७.

Seeing him suddenly approaching, the gods, stricken by the blow of the lord of the gods, quickly armed themselves and became followers of Rudra.

रुद्रोऽपि वासुकिं ध्यात्वा तक्षकं च धनंजयम् । वलयं कटिंसूत्रं च चकार परमेश्वरः ।। २७.

Rudra, meditating on Vasuki, Takshaka, and Dhananjaya, made them into bracelets, a girdle, and a sacred thread, O supreme lord.

नीलनामा च दैत्येन्द्रो हस्ती भूत्वा भवान्तिकम् । आगतस्त्वरितः शक्रहस्तीवोद्धतरूपवान् ।। २७.

The demon king named Nila, taking the form of an elephant, swiftly approached Bhava, appearing as mighty as the elephant of Indra.

स ज्ञातो नन्दिना दैत्यो वीरभद्राय दर्शितः । वीरभद्रोऽपि सिंहेन रूपेणाहत्य च द्रुतम् ।। २७.

That demon, recognized by Nandi, was shown to Virabhadra; and Virabhadra, taking the form of a lion, quickly struck him down.

तस्य कृत्तिं विदार्याशु करिणस्त्वञ्जनप्रभाम् । रुद्रायार्पितवान् सोऽपि तमेवाम्बरमाकरोत् । ततः प्रभृति रुद्रोऽपि गजचर्मपटोऽभवत् ।। २७.

Tearing open the hide of that elephant, dark as collyrium, he offered it to Rudra, who then made it his garment; from that time, Rudra became the wearer of the elephant hide.

गजचर्म्मपटो भूत्वा भुजंगाभरणोज्ज्वलः । आदाय त्रिशिखं भीमं सगणोऽन्धकमन्वयात् ।। २७.

Clad in the elephant hide and shining with serpent ornaments, he took up his terrible trident and, with his attendants, pursued Andhaka.

ततः प्रवृत्ते युद्धे च देवदानवयोर्महत् । इन्द्राद्या लोकपालास्तु स्कन्दः सेनापतिस्तथा । सर्वे देवगणाश्चान्ये युयुधुः समरे तदा ।। २७.

Then a great battle began between the gods and the demons; Indra and the other guardians of the worlds, as well as Skanda the commander, and all the other hosts of gods fought in that war.

तं दृष्ट्वा नारदा युद्धं ययौ नारायणं प्रति । शशंस च महद् युद्धं कैलासे दानवैः सह ।। २७.

Seeing that battle, Narada went to Narayana and reported the great war taking place on Kailasa with the demons.

तच्छ्रुत्वा चक्रमादाय गरुडस्थो जनार्दनः । तमेव देशमागत्य युयुधे दानवैः सह ।। २७.

Hearing this, Janardana, mounted on Garuda and taking up his discus, came to that very place and fought with the demons.

आगत्य च ततो देवा हरिणाप्यायिता रणे । विषण्णवदनाः सर्वे पलायनपरा भवन् ।। २७.

Then the gods, having been reinforced in battle by Hari, all became downcast and turned to flight.

तत्र भग्नेषु देवेषु स्वयं रुद्रोऽन्धकं ययौ । तत्र तेन महद्युद्धमभवल्लोमहर्षणम् ।। २७.

When the gods were routed there, Rudra himself went against Andhaka; there, a great and hair-raising battle took place between them.

तत्र देवोऽप्यसौ दैत्यं त्रिशूलेनाहनद् भृशम् । तस्याहतस्य यद् रक्तमपतद् भूतले किल । तत्रान्धका असंख्याता बभूवुरपरे भृशम् ।। २७.

There, the god struck the demon hard with his trident; and wherever the blood of the wounded Andhaka fell upon the earth, countless other Andhakas arose there, fierce and numerous.

तद् दृष्ट्वा महदाश्चर्यं रुद्रो शूलेऽन्धकं मृधे । गृहीत्वा त्रिशिखाग्रेण ननर्त्त परमेश्वरः ।। २७.

Seeing this great wonder, Rudra impaled Andhaka on his trident in battle, and the supreme lord danced, holding him on the tip of the trident.

इतरेऽप्यन्धकाः सर्वे चक्रेण परमेष्ठिना । नारायणेन निहतास्तत्र येऽन्ये समुत्थिताः । २७.

All the other Andhakas who arose there were slain by the discus of the supreme lord Narayana.

असृग्धारातुषारैस्तु शूलप्रोतस्य चासकृत् । अनारतं समुत्तस्थुस्ततो रुद्रो रुषान्वितः ।। २७.

From the streams of blood and frost, repeatedly pierced by the trident, ceaselessly arose; then Rudra, filled with wrath.

तस्य क्रोधेन महता मुखाज्ज्वाला विनिर्ययौ । तद्रूपधारिणी देवी यां तां योगेश्वरीं विदुः ।। २७.

From his mouth, due to great anger, a flame emerged; that flame took the form of a goddess, whom the Yogis know as Yogeshwari.

स्वरूपधारिणी चान्या विष्णुनापि विनिर्मिता । ब्रह्मणा कार्तिकेयेन इन्द्रेण च यमेन च । वराहेण च देवेन विष्णुना परमेष्ठिना ।। २७.

Another goddess, bearing her own form, was also created by Vishnu, Brahma, Kartikeya, Indra, Yama, Varaha, and the supreme Vishnu.

पातालोद्धरणं रूपं तस्या देव्या विनिर्ममे । माहेश्वरी च राजेन्द्र इत्येता अष्टमारतः ।। २७.

The form of that goddess was fashioned for the purpose of raising up the netherworld; and she is called Maheshwari, O king—thus are the eight mothers.

कारणं तानि यत्प्रोक्तं क्षेत्रज्ञेनावधारणम् । शरीराद् देवतानां तु तदिदं कीर्तितं मया ।। २७.

The cause that was spoken of, determined by the knower of the field, from the bodies of the deities—this I have recounted.

कामः क्रोधस्तथा लोभो मदो मोहोऽथ पञ्चमः । मात्सर्यं षष्ठमित्याहुः पैशुन्यं सप्तमं तथा । असूया चाऽष्टमी ज्ञेया इत्येता अष्टमातरः ।। २७.

Desire, anger, greed, pride, delusion as the fifth, envy as the sixth, deceit as the seventh, and malice as the eighth—these are known as the eight mothers.