Category: SrimadBhagavatam

Padmanābhaya namah

Seeing the fallen demon Hiranyāksha, Brahma and other Devatas who had assembled there thought,

“Hiranyāksha and Hiranyakashipu were none other than Jaya and Vijaya, the personal attendants of Lord Mahavishnu. The curse of Maharishi Sanaka and others was the reason for this demonic birth. After few more such births they will return to their original positions.”

Brahma and other Devatas then pleased the Lord with their hymns,

“Namo namas te ’khila-yajña-tantave sthitau gṛhītāmala-sattva-mūrtaye

Diṣṭyā hato ’yaṁ jagatām aruntudas tvat-pāda-bhaktyā vayam īśa nirvṛtāḥ.

O Lord! You are the cause for all Yagnas (sacrificial rituals). For the well-being of the worlds, You incarnate in Your pure (satvik) form which is untainted by the three attributes of Nature (trigunas). To You, we offer many prostrations.

O Lord, You have killed this demon who was an impediment to this world. We, who serve Your lotus feet with devotion, have thus obtained happiness”.

In this and in many other ways Brahma and other Devatas profusely praised Lord Varāha for having killed Hiranyāksha. With His glance which was replete with compassion and love, Srihari looked at them. He then returned to His ever auspicious and splendorous residence of Vaikunṭha.

O Vidura! You are my dear friend. As playfully as one breaks a toy, Lord Varāha playfully destroyed the demon Hiranyāksha. I have narrated this story to you, exactly as I have heard from my teachers”.

Having narrated this story, which was in the form of a conversation between Maitreya Maharishi and Vidura, Maharishi Suta addressed Maharishi Śounaka and said,

“O great saint! Vidura, the ardent devotee of Lord Srihari, was supremely thrilled to hear these glories of the Lord.

Anyeṣāṁ puṇya-ślokānām uddāma-yaśasāṁ satām

Upaśrutya bhaven modaḥ śrīvatsāṅkasya kiṁ punaḥ

When the pure, all-pervading and well-known glories of saints are heard, they give immense happiness to the mind. This being the case, what more can be said about the joy that is attained by listening to the glory of Lord Srihari, who wears the Srivatsa mark on His chest?

When Elephant-king Gajendra was caught by a crocodile, female elephants grieved a lot. At that time, Gajendra meditated upon the lotus feet of Lord Srihari. Instantly Srihari rescued him from the clutches of the crocodile.

Worshipping Srihari is a very simple task for those devotees who, without any trace of deceit and with pure unflinching devotion, seek shelter in Him! However it is impossible for the wicked to ever worship and please Him.

Any person who realizes that his entire good-fortune is simply due to the Lord’s grace upon him will undoubtedly worship Him! He will serve Him with devotion.

Yo vai hiraṇyākṣa-vadhaṁ mahādbhutaṁ Vikrīḍitaṁ kāraṇa-sūkarātmanaḥ

Śṛṇoti gāyaty anumodate ’ñjasā Vimucyate brahma-vadhād api dvijāḥ

O great saints! For protecting the world the Supreme Lord incarnated as Varāha boar and killed the demon. He, who listens to this astonishing glory of the Lord, who glorifies and enjoys it and who ensures that these stories are narrated everywhere, will be freed from even the terrible sin of killing a Brahmin! This is undoubtedly true!

Etan mahā-puṇyam alaṁ pavitraṁ  Dhanyaṁ yaśasyaṁ padam āyur-āśiṣām

Prāṇendriyāṇāṁ yudhi śaurya-vardhanaṁ Nārāyaṇo ’nte gatir aṅga śṛṇvatām

O Vidura! This story purifies those who listen attentively to it. It blesses them with great merit. It helps them obtain wealth, fame and longevity. It fulfills all their desires. At times of war it increases the strength of the life-force (prana) and senses. Those who listen to it will reach Lord Narayana after their death”.

With this the nineteenth chapter of the third canto comes to an end.

Third Canto Chapter Twenty

In this chapter the process of creation adopted by Lord Brahma is explained.

Śounaka Maharishi enquired, “O Maharishi Suta! What were the activities of Swayambhuva Manu after the earth was restored to its original position? What were the methods adopted by him towards creation of living species? Please explain this to us.

Vidura was an ardent devotee of the Lord. He was a friend of Lord Srikrishna and had enjoyed His love. He gave up association with Duryodhana for behaving wrongly towards Srikrishna. He also gave up association with his brother Dhritarashtra for having supported the Kauravas in this matter. In greatness, Vidura was equal to his father Maharishi Vyasa. He would serve the devotees of Lord Srikrishna and would associate with them. He visited all pilgrim centres and had washed away all his impurities.

What more did he enquire from Maharishi Maitreya, when he met him at the sacred Haridwar kshetra? O Maharishi Suta! It is undoubtedly true that these two supreme beings would have discussed only stories pertaining to Lord Srikrishna. Like River Ganga, these stories of the Lord wash away the sins of the devotees to listen to them.

Tā naḥ kīrtaya bhadraṁ te kīrtanyodāra-karmaṇaḥ

Rasajñaḥ ko nu tṛpyeta hari-līlāmṛtaṁ piban

Padmanābhāya namah

Third Canto Chapter Nineteen

In this chapter, the killing of Hiranyāksha by Lord Varāha based on the prayers of Lord Brahma is covered.

Maitreya Maharishi continued, “O Vidura! Hearing the pure nectarous words uttered by Brahma, Lord Varāha with a charming smile and with a gaze that was filled with compassion, looked at Brahma and accepted his prayer.

Hiranyāksha was undefeatable. Rotating his mace violently in the air, He was approaching Lord Varāha, the Supreme Lord who had emerged from the nostrils of Lord Brahma. Finding the right opportunity, Lord Varāha jumped into the air and forcefully hit the demon on his jaw using His mace.

Using his own mace Hiranyāksha stopped the Lord’s mace and now he hit the Lord. With this Lord’s mace flew high up in the air, swirled many times before falling down.

Devatas who were witnessing this battle was deeply astounded to see the mace slipping from the Lord’s hands. They began to shout in alarm. In fact this was the right opportunity for the demon to attack the Lord who was unarmed. But yet, strictly abiding by the rules of warfare, he remained silent without attacking the Lord.

Lord Varāha was pleased with the sense of righteousness displayed by the demon. Infuriated that His mace had fallen down, the Lord instantly invoked His discus, Sudarshana chakra.

Sudarshana was eager to kill the demon. But yet, the Lord continued to combat with the demon king, who was the leader of all demons. He continued his playful activities. In great anxiety the Devatas were watching this battle from Heaven. Unable to understand His transcendental activities, they were agitated and worried. Addressing the Lord they said,

“O Lord! May You be victorious! Please destroy this demon immediately.” In varied ways they offered prayers to the Lord.

Then Varāha swamy, who has beautiful charming lotus eyes, took up His discus and stood in front of the demon. Seeing this, the mind and the limbs of the demon shook with uncontrollable agitation. Screaming violently he bit his lower lip. With eyes that indicated that he would swallow up the Lord, this demon who had ferocious tusks, looked at the Lord.

“With this you are finished”, screaming in frenzy the demon pounced upon the Lord in order to hit him with his mace. In the presence of the demon, the Lord playfully kicked the mace with his left leg. He then addressed the demon and said, “You desired to conquer Me in battle. Hence pick your weapon and try once again”.

Roaring violently Hiranyāksha picked his mace and hurled it upon the Lord. Lord Varāha continued to stand firmly in His place even as the mace was approaching Him vehemently at rapid speeds. He waited until it was near and then as playfully as an eagle catches a snake, He caught the mace.

When his valour was thus challenged, Hiranyāksha’s ego took a beating. His face turned lusterless. The Lord then returned the mace to the demon. However the demon was reluctant to take it back. Just as a wicked person would resort to malicious deeds in order to destroy a noble Brahmin, the demon took up a trident to kill Lord Varāha, the personification of Yagna.

The 3 spokes of the trident were emitting fiery flames that appeared as to swallow everything. When the demon vehemently hurled this trident, it flew towards the Lord vomiting huge sparks. Lord Varaha directed his discus towards the trident. As playfully as Indra cut off a feather from Garuda’s wing, Varaha swamy through His discus, shred the trident into innumerable pieces.

With this Hiranyaksha’s wrath further intensified. Roaring loudly in mad frenzy he ran towards the Lord and hit Him on His chest, the residence of Goddess Lakshmi, with his fists and then magically vanished.

Lord Varāha did not budge even slightly with this violent harsh attack. Hitting Varāha Swamy with fists was like hitting an elephant with a flower garland. Now this demon resorted to varied fearful conjuring tricks to defeat the Lord. Those who witnessed these fearsome events feared for the safety of the world.

With his illusory powers, he caused violent gale winds that created huge dust storms as they blew forcefully. Everything was enveloped in darkness. From every corner it rained stones. Skies were covered with thick black clouds that were accompanied by thunder and lightning. Star constellations disappeared from view. These clouds rained pus, hair, blood, bones, urine and fecal matter.

Mountains discharged powerful weapons of every kind. Naked demonesses with their hair left loose and holding tridents were seen at different places. Foot soldiers, warriors mounted on horses, elephants and chariots, many cruel yakshas and demons were screaming horrendously in many places.

Prāduṣkṛtānāṁ māyānām āsurīṇāṁ vināśayat

Sudarśanāstraṁ bhagavān prāyuṅkta dayitaṁ tri-pāt

Lord Varāha, who has Yagna composed of three pādas as His form, having decided to bring to an end the illusion created by Hiranyāksha, now discharged His favorite weapon, the discus.

Exactly at that moment, Diti remembered the prediction her husband Maharishi Kashyapa had previously made. She shivered. Blood flowed from her breasts. The Lord’s discus shred the illusion created by the demon. With his illusion shattered, the demon was now uncontrollably enraged and in fury he madly rushed towards the Lord tried to hold Him within his arms and crush Him. However the Lord dodged him.

Now he tried to hit the Lord with his fists that were like hard diamonds. The Lord in turn hit Hiranyāksha mildly on his jaw just as Indra hit demon Vrittasura.

Lord Varaha, the conqueror of worlds, did not hit Hiranyāksha with all His might. It was a mild blow, but yet this mild blow caused the demon to spin round and round. His eyeballs popped out. His hands and legs were broken. His hair was scattered and like a huge tree uprooted due to volcanic winds, he dropped dead to the ground. This was the end of the undefeatable Hiranyāksha.

The tusks of this mighty demon instilled fear even when he dead. His lower lip had been bitten due to his fury. Seeing him, Brahma and other Devatas who had assembled there thought,

“Aha! How astonishing! Who can be so fortunate to meet death in this fashion? Great Yogis, who seek liberation from their causal bodies, eternally fix their mind with unflinching devotion upon this Supreme Lord and meditate. This demon was fortunate to have been kicked by such Lord. He gave up his life while gazing at the Lord’s face. What more can be said of his fortune?

Hiranyāksha and Hiranyakashipu were none other than Jaya and Vijaya, the personal attendants of Lord Mahavishnu. The curse of Maharishi Sanaka and others was the reason for this demonic birth. After few more such births they will return to their original positions”.

Brahma and other Maharishis now glorified the Lord.

Sridharāya Namah

In intense fury the Lord continued to address Hiranyāksha, “How can you ever think of escaping from warriors like us? You are the leader for the entire army of land warriors, isn’t it? Then why delay? Come and attack now. Let’s fight. Begin that task which gives Me immense pleasure. As per your earlier declaration, kill me now and wipe away the tears of your near and dear ones. Live up to your promise. Don’t you know that those who do not live up to their promise lose the opportunity to sit amidst eminent persons in any assembly?” Thus the Lord mocked the demon.

Hearing these derisive words, Hiranyāksha’s anger intensified. His blood boiled. He was perturbed. Like an angry cobra he hissed. The anger caused his limbs to tremble violently. In lightening speed he rushed towards Lord Varaha to hit Him with his iron mace.

Bhagavāṁs tu gadā-vegaṁ visṛṣṭaṁ ripuṇorasi

Avañcayat tiraścīno yogārūḍha ivāntakam

Hiranyāksha was just about to hit the Lord with his mace when the Lord jumped slightly aside and escaped from that blow. Just as a Yogi escapes death, the Lord escaped from that blow.

With his lips quivering in rage, Hiranyāksha took his mace and repeatedly rotated it swiftly in the air above his head. Lord Varāha now pounced upon the demon and with His mace tried to hit him on his forehead. However the demon deftly escaped and using his mace he stopped the Lord’s mace.

In this way, in maddened anger and with the desire to obtain victory over each other, both fought violently using their maces. They attacked each other repeatedly. Their determination was undeterred. They thus fought for a long time. Blood flowed profusely from their bodies due to the wounds. The smell of blood flowing from their bodies only intensified their wrath and caused them to fight even more fiercely. In order to get control over earth, they thus fought violently using innumerable tricks with their maces, so as to obtain victory. They appeared like two bulls that were fighting fiercely for the sake of a cow.

Daityasya yajñāvayavasya māyā-gṛhīta-vārāha-tanor mahātmanaḥ

Kauravya mahyāṁ dviṣator vimardanaṁ didṛkṣur āgād ṛṣibhir vṛtaḥ svarāṭ

O foremost amongst the Kuru lineage! O Vidura! When Lord Srihari who has Yagna as His limbs, who is the personification of Yagna, who assumed the form of a boar using His power of illusion and who is none other than Parabrahma, was fighting with the demon in order to safeguard earth, Brahma along with all Maharishis arrived there in order to witness the war.

In great enthusiasm Hiranyāksha was fighting brutally returning blow for every blow received by him. His valour did not appear to diminish even slightly.

The ever worshipful Lord Brahma, who had arrived there together with thousands of great saints, observed this. He addressed Lord Narayana, who was there in the form of a boar, and said,

“O Lord! I had earlier showered plentiful boons upon this demon. However he has been causing great harm to all the Devatas who have sought shelter in Your feet, to the Brahmins, to the cows and to other innocent beings. He is the cause for their fear and grief. There is none who has the capacity to stop this demon who has become an impediment in the universe.

He has become conceited. Intoxicated with that arrogance, this conceited demon, who possesses limitless prowess, travels across all various worlds in search of opponents who could challenge him in war.

O Lord! This wicked demon is a conjurer and is extremely arrogant. He is absolutely unstoppable. You are playing with him just as a little boy playfully engages himself with a cobra. O Lord! The demonic time, which will cause a surge in his energy, is fast approaching. Hence please exhibit your illusory power immediately and kill this demon.

Eṣā ghoratamā sandhyā loka-cchambaṭ-karī prabho

Upasarpati sarvātman surāṇāṁ jayam āvah

O Lord! O sarvatma! The evening twilight (Sandhya) time which causes the destruction of the worlds is fast approaching. Kill him before that time and ensure victory to the Devatas.

The auspicious period of time known as Abhijit lagna is about to end. Please kill him and grant happiness to us, your devotees. This demon who cannot be killed by any other, can be destroyed only by You. Hence please destroy him now.

Diṣṭyā tvāṁ vihitaṁ mṛtyum ayam āsāditaḥ svayam

Vikramyainaṁ mṛdhe hatvā lokān ādhehi śarmaṇi

You had previously declared that he will die only in Your hands. It is pre-decided. He himself has approached You, who are right now the personification of death. Hence show your valour and kill him. Please bring happiness to all the worlds, O Lord”.

With this prayer of Lord Brahma, the eighteenth chapter comes to an end.

Vamanāya namah.

Trivikramāya namah

Lord Varuna continued, “O demon king! I have completely given up warfare. You are an expert in warfare. To a warrior of your cadre, only Lord Srihari is the right opponent. He is the primordial being. He alone can satisfy your desire. I do not even know how to fight properly. Therefore I suggest that you approach him. Mighty warriors like you can truly appreciate his power. He too is waiting for a worthy opponent.

“Taṁ vīram ārād abhipadya vismayaḥ śayiṣyase vīra-śaye śvabhir vṛtaḥ

Yas tvad-vidhānām asatāṁ praśāntaye rūpāṇi dhatte sad-anugrahecchayā

Very shortly you will meet this supreme warrior Srihari. Then your pride will be crushed. When you sleep in the battle field, dogs will roam around you. Only for the purpose of destroying wicked beings and for blessing the noble beings, He incarnates periodically”- said Lord Varuna to Hiranyāksha.

With this the seventeenth chapter comes to an end.

Third Canto Chapter Eighteen 

In this chapter, for the well-being of the universe, the Supreme Lord tackling the demon Hiranyāksha and the details of their battle are covered.

Maitreya Maharishi continued, “O Vidura! Hiranyāksha was extremely thrilled when he heard the words of Varuna. This conceited demon was excited that after all these years he was going to combat with an able opponent, who could match him in battle. He paid a deaf ear to Varuna’s prophecy that he would meet his end in Srihari’s hands.

He, who was anxious for a battle, instantly found from Maharishi Nārada the place where he would find Srihari. In lightening speeds he reached Patala (a type of hell).

Dadarśa tatrābhijitaṁ dharā-dharaṁ Pronnīyamānāvanim agra-daṁṣṭrayā

Muṣṇantam akṣṇā sva-ruco ’ruṇa-śriyā Jahāsa cāho vana-gocaro mṛgaḥ

There he saw Lord Varāha, who was the size of an unimaginably huge mountain. Lord Varāha was holding the earth on his tusks and bringing it up. In front of the Lord, who was gleaming with his bright red eyes and lustrous body, Hiranyāksha’s radiance faded.

Seeing the Lord the demon thought, “Oh, this is an animal that roams about in the forests. How come it is swimming in these waters?” Thinking thus he laughed boisterously.

Addressing the Lord he shouted, “O fool, come here! Throw away that earth. Lord Brahma who has created this universe has gifted to us the earth which is situated near the Rasātala (a type of hell). Hence earth is always under our control.

You cannot steal the earth, right under our eyes, and obtain any happiness. You who have incarnated as a boar are the lowest amongst the Devatas. O fool! Is it possible that in order to destroy us our enemies have nourished you? If not, what is the reason behind this huge form of yours?

You appear like a magician. Instead of appearing in your original form, you are appearing in this form of a boar and are attacking the demons so as to obtain victory. The power of illusion (yoga maya) is your true form. Nevertheless, your prowess is insignificant. Your valour is demeaning and lowly. I will now kill you and through this wipe the tears of my kith and kin.

When I hurl this mace your head will be smashed into pieces. O fool! The time for your death has arrived. When you die, these sages who ardently worship you, will automatically die akin to the tree whose mother root has been plucked out”.

Like sharp thorns, these words uttered by his enemy deeply pricked Lord Varaha. Earth which was resting on His tusks, trembled profusely hearing the words of the demon. Even though these harsh words pricked the Lord, He tolerated it. Just as a male elephant chased by a crocodile reaches the shore together with its female companion, Lord Varāha together with earth emerged safely from the waters.

Hiranyaksha had golden hair all over his body. His tusks were frightful. Seeing Lord Varāha emerging from the waters he roared like thunder. Just as a crocodile rushes to catch the elephant, he rushed towards Lord Varāha in great fury. He roared, “Shameless persons do not possess the discrimination between rightful or wrongful deeds. Such wicked persons escape timidly without waging war. Are you not ashamed of behaving in such a shameless manner?”

Exactly at that moment Brahma was praying to Lord Varāha, who had brought the earth safely out of the waters. The Devatas were raining flowers upon Him and were praising him profusely. Without heeding the taunting words uttered by this demon, the Lord carried the earth and deposited it safely at a suitable place. He then blessed it by transferring His own energy into it.

Now He looked at Hiranyāksha who was wearing golden ornaments, who had draped himself in multi coloured golden clothing, who held a huge iron mace in his hand and who was abusing Him and piercing His heart with harsh words. The Lord’s fury knew no bounds. Laughing boisterously He looked at the demon and said,

“Satyaṁ vayaṁ bho vana-gocarā mṛgā Yuṣmad-vidhān mṛgaye grāma-siṁhān

Na mṛtyu-pāśaiḥ pratimuktasya vīrā Vikatthanaṁ tava gṛhṇanty abhadra

 O wicked demon! What you said is undoubtedly true. We are animals that roam about in the forests. Nevertheless, our task is to catch worthless dogs like you. You are wasting your time in useless talk. Valourous persons do not attach any value to worthless words.

What you have said is true! We are thieves. We have come to steal this earth which had been given to the residents of Rasātala hell by Lord Brahma. Therefore even if you chase us with your mace, we do not care. We are shameless.

I have no choice but to fight you. How can we afford to have hostile relations with powerful warriors of your stature? More importantly, you are the commander for all the land warriors. Why then do you hesitate? Why do you delay? Come now. Begin that task which is disliked by me”.

Trivikramāya namah

Female jackals stood in the middle of village streets and howled inauspiciously emitting fiery flames from their mouths. They were accompanied by male jackals and owls. At many place dogs howled and shrieked with their raised necks. At times it was as if they were singing and at other times it was inauspicious howling. Large groups of inebriated donkeys were hitting the earth with their hooves and howling inauspiciously.

Terrified of this howls, many birds fell dead from their nests. Domesticated as well as wild animals began to urinate and discard fecal matter due to fright. The frightened cows began to yield blood instead of milk. Clouds showered pus instead of water. The idols of the deities began to shed profuse tears. Even in the absence of winds, huge trees began to collapse to the ground.

Using retrograde methods, inauspicious planets emitting sparks of fire overtook auspicious planets and star constellations and travelled.  Each planet and constellation has its own gravitational force which ensures a planet remains in its orbit and balances its connections to other planets. Now this gravitational force was reducing and planets were moving haphazardly. It was as if these planets would fall down or sink. The planets were competing with each other during such haphazard movements.

In addition to this, many more inauspicious omens filled the earth. Barring Sanaka and other Maharishis who were omniscient, every other living entity was terrified noticing these inauspicious omens. They feared that the time for destruction of the universe had arrived.

These twins, who were Diti’s first-borns, showed their prowess soon upon birth. With bodies that were strong as iron, these twins began to grow like two gigantic mountains. Their bodies were so huge that their golden crowns enveloped all the directions. The tips of their crowns touched all the three worlds.

Their powerful shoulders, which caused panic to all the worlds, were glowing with golden armlets. A glittering waistband draped their waists. When they walked, the earth trembled with their weight. In front of their radiance, even the radiance of the Sun seemed lusterless.

Kashyapa Maharishi conducted the naming ceremony for his twin sons. They were named Hiranyāksha and Hiranyakashipu. He who was the first to enter Diti’s womb, in other words, the second to emerge from her womb was called Hiranyakashipu. The other son was Hiranyāksha.

Due to his mighty powerful arms, Hiranyakashipu was arrogant and conceited. To add to this, he performed intense austerities and obtained a boon from Brahma that he could not be killed by anyone. As a result his haughtiness only multiplied. Very soon he conquered all the worlds together with the Lords of all directions and ruled over them.

Hiranyāksha always engaged in deeds that brought joy to his elder brother. Fighting with equals was his greatest joy. Holding a mace in his hand he travelled in all directions searching for a suitable opponent to battle with.

His speed and might was intolerable. On his neck he would wear a huge flower garland that symbolized his victory. On his shoulders he held a huge mace. When he walked the huge golden anklets on his legs jingled deafeningly. Being independent, there was nothing he feared.

Fearing Hiranyāksha who, due to his unsurpassed mental and physical prowess and due to the boon showered upon him by Brahma, had become conceited and was about to attack them, Devatas were terrified. Just as snakes hide fearing eagle Garuda, the Devatas began running helter-skelter and hid from him.

When the demon-king Hiranyāksha stepped into heaven it was totally deserted. He understood that fearing his might the Devatas had gone into hiding. To announce his victory he roared deafeningly, such that it resounded throughout heaven, and then left the place.

Nevertheless his desire to fight was not quenched. He was unable to find anyone whom he could challenge for a war. Meanwhile he spotted the oceans and desired to playfully swim in them. Instantly with a loud thunderous howl he plunged into the ocean like an inebriated elephant.

Seeing Hiranyāksha in the waters, the aquatic animals who are the army of the Ocean Lord Varuna, shivered terribly and dispersed in various different directions. Even though he did not even near them, they were unable to withstand his might and his radiance. They divided themselves into tiny groups and travelled countless miles to save themselves. Through his breath Hiranyāksha created gigantic waves in the ocean. Playfully hitting these enormous waves with his iron mace, he spent many, many years in the oceans.

He then reached Vibhāvari, the capital of Lord Varuna. There he saw Lord Varuna who is the Lord of Pātala (hell) and of all the aquatic animals. In order to cheat him, Hiranyāksha pretended like an insignificant low person. He fell at Varuna’s feet and said, “O mighty king! Bless me by agreeing to fight with me.”

Hiranyāksha was itching for a battle. He was restless without engaging in war. All the time he was on the lookout for a suitable opponent. He continued, “O King! Your valour is of great renown. You crush the pride of those conceited warriors who consider themselves to be unconquerable. In the past you conquered all Devatas and demons and then performed the Rajasuya yagna”.

In this manner, Hiranyāksha, who considered Varuna as his enemy, pretended to praise him so as to invite him for a battle. He was actually ridiculing Varuna.

Varuna reflected upon this deeply. He suppressed the anger that was bursting forth from within. He then said, “O demon king! I have completely given up warfare. You are an expert in warfare. To a warrior of your cadre, only Lord Srihari is the right opponent. He is the primordial being. He alone can satisfy your desire. I do not even know how to fight properly. Therefore I suggest that you approach him. Mighty warriors like you can truly appreciate his power. He too is waiting for a worthy opponent”.