By “Soota said, ‘Then the Daityaas and the Daanavaas equipped with first-class armours and various weapons attacked Devas. In the meantime, the fearless Lord Vishnu in the form of a magic woman (Mohini Avatar of Lord Narayana) accompanied by Nara cheated the mighty Daanavaas and took away the Amrita from their hands.
“All Devas at that time of great fear, drank the Amrita with delight, receiving it from (Lord) Vishnu. While Devas were consuming of it (Amrita), after which they had so much desired, a Daanavaa named Raahu was also drinking it among them in the guise of a Deva. When the Amrita had reached Raahu’s throat only, Surya and Soma (recognised Raahu and) informed the fact to Devas. (Lord) Narayana instantly cut off with His (Sudarshana) chakra the well-adorned head of the Daanavaa (Raahu) who was drinking the Amrita without permission.
“The huge head of the Daanavaa (Raahu), cut off by the (Sudarshana) chakra and resembling a mountain peak, then rose up to the sky and began to utter dreadful cries. The Daanavaa’s headless body, falling upon the ground and rolling immediately, made the Earth tremble with her mountains, forests and islands. From that time there is a long-standing quarrel between Raahu’s head and Surya and Soma. To this day, it (Raahu) swallows Surya and Soma (during solar and lunar eclipses).
“Then (Lord) Narayana quitting His attractive female form and hurling many terrible weapons at the Daanavaas, made them tremble. Thus, on the shores of the salt-water sea, commenced the dreadful battle of Devas and Asuras. Sharp-pointed javelins, spears and various weapons by thousands began to be discharged on all sides. Crushed with the chakra and wounded with swords, arrows and maces (Gada in Sanskrit), the Asuras in large numbers vomited blood and lay flat on the earth.
“Cut off from the body with sharp double-edged swords, heads decorated with bright gold, fell continually on the battlefield. Their bodies drenched in blood, the great Asuras lay dead everywhere. It seemed as if red-dyed mountain peaks lay scattered all around. When the Sun rose in his glory, thousands of warriors struck one another with weapons. Cries of pain were heard everywhere. The warriors fighting at a distance from one another brought one another down by sharp iron missiles, and those fighting at close quarters slew one another with blows of their fists. The air was filled with shrieks of pain. Everywhere were heard the alarming sounds – ‘cut’, ‘pierce’, ‘at them’, ‘throw down’, ‘advance’.
“When the battle was continuing fiercely, Nara and Narayana entered the field. (Lord) Narayana seeing the divine bow in the hand of Nara, called to mind His own weapon, the Daanavaa-destroying chakra. And look! the chakra, Sudarshana, destroyer of enemies, like to Agni in brightness and dreadful in battle, came from the sky as soon as thought of. When it came, (Lord) Narayana of fierce energy, possessing arms like the trunk of an elephant, sent with great force that weapon of extraordinary brightness (Sudarshana chakra), bright as blazing fire, dreadful and capable of destroying hostile towns.
“That (Sudarshana) chakra blazing like the fire that consumes all things at the end of Yuga, hurled with force from the hands of (Lord) Narayana, and falling constantly everywhere, destroyed the Daityaas and the Daanavas by thousands. Sometimes it blazed like fire and consumed them all; sometimes it struck them down as it traveled through the sky; and sometimes, falling on the earth, it drank their life-blood like a goblin (Pishaachaa in Sanskrit).
“On the other hand, the Daanavaas, coloured as the clouds from which the rain has dropped, possessing great strength and bold hearts, ascended the sky, and by hurling down thousands of mountains, continually harassed Devas. Those dreadful mountains, like masses of clouds, with their trees and flat tops, falling from the sky, collided with one another and produced a tremendous roar.
“When thousands of warriors shouted without intermission in the battlefield and mountains with the woods on them began to fall around, the earth with her forests trembled. Then the divine Nara appeared at the scene of the dreadful conflict between Asuras and Deva Ganas, and reducing to dust those rocks by means of his gold-headed arrows, he covered the heavens with dust. Thus, discomforted by Devas, and seeing the furious chakra cleaning the fields of heaven like a blazing flame, the mighty Daanavaas entered the bowels of the earth, while others plunged into the sea of salt-waters.
“Having gained the victory, Devas offered due respect to Mandara (mountain) and placed him again on his own base. The Amrita-bearing Devas made the heavens resound with their shouts, and went to their own abodes. Devas, on returning to the heavens, rejoiced greatly, and (Lord) Indra and the other deities made over to (Lord) Narayana the vessel of Amrita for careful keeping.’”
SRIMAD MAHABHARATA – AADI PARVA – AASTIKA (UPA) PARVA – PART 19 – DEVAASURA BATTLE FOR AMRITA
