Chapter Six
The Demigods and Demons Declare a Truce
TEXT 32
tato devāsurāḥ kṛtvā
saṁvidaṁ kṛta-sauhṛdāḥ
udyamaṁ paramaṁ cakrur
amṛtārthe parantapa
SYNONYMS
tataḥ—thereafter; deva-asurāḥ—both the demons and the demigods; kṛtvā—executing; saṁvidam—indicating; kṛta-sauhṛdāḥ—an armistice between them; udyamam—enterprise; paramam—supreme; cakruḥ—they did; amṛta-arthe—for the sake of nectar; parantapa—O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, chastiser of enemies.
TRANSLATION
O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, chastiser of enemies, the demigods and the demons thereafter made an armistice between them. Then, with great enterprise, they arranged to produce nectar, as proposed by Lord Indra.
PURPORT
The word saṁvidam is significant in this verse. The demigods and demons both agreed to stop fighting, at least for the time being, and endeavored to produce nectar. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura notes in this connection:
saṁvid yuddhe pratijñāyām
ācāre nāmni toṣaṇe
sambhāṣaṇe kriyākāre
saṅketa-jñānayor api
The word saṁvit is variously used to mean “in fighting,” “in promising,” “for satisfying,” “in addressing,” “by practical action,” “indication,” and “knowledge.”
TEXT 33
tatas te mandara-girim
ojasotpāṭya durmadāḥ
nadanta udadhiṁ ninyuḥ
śaktāḥ parigha-bāhavaḥ
SYNONYMS
tataḥ—thereafter; te—all the demigods and demons; mandara-girim—Mandara Mountain; ojasā—with great strength; utpāṭya—extracting; durmadāḥ—very powerful and competent; nadanta—cried very loudly; udadhim—toward the ocean; ninyuḥ—brought; śaktāḥ—very strong; parigha-bāhavaḥ—having long, strong arms.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, with great strength, the demons and demigods, who were all very powerful and who had long, stout arms, uprooted Mandara Mountain. Crying very loudly, they brought it toward the ocean of milk.
TEXT 34
dūra-bhārodvaha-śrāntāḥ
śakra-vairocanādayaḥ
apārayantas taṁ voḍhuṁ
vivaśā vijahuḥ pathi
SYNONYMS
dūra—for a great distance; bhāra-udvaha—by carrying the great load; śrāntāḥ—being fatigued; śakra—King Indra; vairocana-ādayaḥ—and Mahārāja Bali (the son of Virocana) and others; apārayantaḥ—being unable; tam—the mountain; voḍhum—to bear; vivaśāḥ—being unable; vijahuḥ—gave up; pathi—on the way.
TRANSLATION
Because of conveying the great mountain for a long distance, King Indra, Mahārāja Bali and the other demigods and demons became fatigued. Being unable to carry the mountain, they left it on the way.
TEXT 35
nipatan sa giris tatra
bahūn amara-dānavān
cūrṇayām āsa mahatā
bhāreṇa kanakācalaḥ
SYNONYMS
nipatan—falling down; saḥ—that; giriḥ—mountain; tatra—there; bahūn—many; amara-dānavān—demigods and demons; cūrṇayām āsa—were smashed; mahatā—by great; bhāreṇa—weight; kanaka-acalaḥ—the golden mountain known as Mandara.
TRANSLATION
The mountain known as Mandara, which was extremely heavy, being made of gold, fell and smashed many demigods and demons.
PURPORT
By constitution, gold is heavier than stone. Since Mandara Mountain was made of gold and was therefore heavier than stone, the demigods and demons could not properly carry it to the ocean of milk.
TEXT 36
tāṁs tathā bhagna-manaso
bhagna-bāhūru-kandharān
vijñāya bhagavāṁs tatra
babhūva garuḍa-dhvajaḥ
SYNONYMS
tān—all the demigods and demons; tathā—thereafter; bhagna-manasaḥ—being brokenhearted; bhagna-bāhu—with broken arms; ūru—thighs; kandharān—and shoulders; vijñāya—knowing; bhagavān—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu; tatra—there; babhūva—appeared; garuḍa-dhvajaḥ—being carried on Garuḍa.
TRANSLATION
The demigods and demons were frustrated and disheartened, and their arms, thighs and shoulders were broken. Therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who knows everything, appeared there on the back of His carrier, Garuḍa.
TEXT 37
giri-pāta-viniṣpiṣṭān
vilokyāmara-dānavān
īkṣayā jīvayām āsa
nirjarān nirvraṇān yathā
SYNONYMS
giri-pāta—because of the falling of Mandara Mountain; viniṣpiṣṭān—crushed; vilokya—observing; amara—the demigods; dānavān—and the demons; īkṣayā—simply by His glance; jīvayām āsa—brought back to life; nirjarān—without aggrievement; nirvraṇān—without bruises; yathā—as.
TRANSLATION
Observing that most of the demons and the demigods had been crushed by the falling of the mountain, the Lord glanced over them and brought them back to life. Thus they became free from grief, and they even had no bruises on their bodies.
TEXT 38
giriṁ cāropya garuḍe
hastenaikena līlayā
āruhya prayayāv abdhiṁ
surāsura-gaṇair vṛtaḥ
SYNONYMS
girim—the mountain; ca—also; āropya—placing; garuḍe—on the back of Garuḍa; hastena—by the hand; ekena—one; līlayā—very easily as His pastime; āruhya—getting on; prayayau—He went; abdhim—to the ocean of milk; sura-asura-gaṇaiḥ—by the demigods and asuras; vṛtaḥ—surrounded.
TRANSLATION
The Lord very easily lifted the mountain with one hand and placed it on the back of Garuḍa. Then, He too got on the back of Garuḍa and went to the ocean of milk, surrounded by the demigods and demons.
PURPORT
Here is proof of the omnipotence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is above everyone. There are two classes of living entities—the demons and the demigods—and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is above them both. The demons believe in the “chance” theory of creation, whereas the demigods believe in creation by the hand of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The omnipotence of the Supreme Lord is proved here, for simply with one hand He lifted Mandara Mountain, the demigods and the demons, placed them on the back of Garuḍa and brought them to the ocean of milk. Now, the demigods, the devotees, would immediately accept this incident, knowing that the Lord can lift anything, however heavy it might be. But although demons were also carried along with the demigods, demons, upon hearing of this incident, would say that it is mythological. But if God is all-powerful, why would it be difficult for Him to lift a mountain? Since He is floating innumerable planets with many hundreds and thousands of Mandara Mountains, why can’t He lift one of them with His hand? This is not mythology, but the difference between the believers and the faithless is that the devotees accept the incidents mentioned in the Vedic literatures to be true, whereas the demons simply argue and label all these historical incidents mythology. Demons would prefer to explain that everything happening in the cosmic manifestation takes place by chance, but demigods, or devotees, never consider anything to be chance. Rather, they know that everything is an arrangement of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the difference between the demigods and the demons.
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