॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Wednesday, 4 January 2023 VI.12 - Vrittra dies a great hero's death as he shows how he is also a great Jnani and Bhakta to the astonishment of all the gods and Rishis.
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मृत्युं वरं विजयन्मन्यमानः Sage Shuka tells King Parikshit how it was wonderful to see that Vrittra was indeed not interested in victory in the battle. He was happy to receive the blow of death from Indra as he would be fulfilling his mission or sacred Karma and thereby reaching Bhagavan's abode!
Naturally, Indra killed Vrittra despite great reluctance. He also realised this macabre drama was just Bhagavan's Lila!
Indra, using his thunderbolt, which was many times more powerful than Vrittra's trident, now broke the trident to pieces and cut off one of Vrittra's arms. Nevertheless, Vrittra now used his remaining arm to strike Indra with an iron mace, making the thunderbolt fall from Indra’s hand. Indra, being very ashamed of this, did not pick up the thunderbolt from the ground. All the gods and sages assembled to witness this battle marvelled at Vrittra's bravery.
युयुत्सतां कुत्रचिदाततायिनां जय: सदैकत्र न वै परात्मनाम् ।
विनैकमुत्पत्तिलयस्थितीश्वरं सर्वज्ञमाद्यं पुरुषं सनातनम् ॥
T: Vrittra exclaimed, " Come on, Indra! Fight! Warriors face defeat and victory not by their deeds but by the supreme will of the Lord! But for the Lord, eternal, the Supreme Being, there never is any creation, sustenance or dissolution of anything in this universe."
"All living beings work like birds caught in a net, who cannot move independently. Indra, as a wooden doll that looks like a woman or as an animal made of grass and leaves cannot move or dance independently, but depends fully on the person who handles it, all of us dance according to the desire of the supreme controller, the Personality of Godhead. No one is independent. The various godly manifestations that create and sustain do so merely with the power invested in them by Bhagavan."
Vrittra spoke high truth. Birth and death, victory and defeat, are all a part of the cosmic drama enacted with the three Gunas by Jivas under the force of Maya. Both the pure Atma and Bhagavan are beyond all that.
"Come on, Indra, fight! Consider this battle a gambling match in which our lives are the stakes, the arrows are the dice, and the animals acting as carriers are the game board. No one can understand who will be defeated and who will be victorious. It all depends on Providence."
Indra struck with the Vajra and severed Vrittra's remaining hand before he could strike him again with the club. Vrittra fell to the ground, and the asura became so gigantic that he quickly swallowed into his mouth Indra as well as his Airavata. Indra was given up for lost by all the dismayed gods, but protected by Narayana Kavacha, and armed with the Vajra, Indra managed to cut his way out of Vrittra. He then beheaded him in a laborious process which took a whole year.
When Vrittra was killed, the Gandharvas and Siddhas beat kettledrums in jubilation. With Vedic hymns they celebrated the prowess of Indra, showering flowers upon him with great pleasure.
The life spark then came forth from Vrittra's body and returned home, and dissolved into Bhagavan as the gods witnessed in wonderment.
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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
