॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
He keeps everyone happy as only he can.
***
Sage Shuka satisfies Parikshit's curiosity by narrating how Bhagavan destroyed the evil Narakasura. The demon was also called Bhauma as he had been born to Goddess Earth when she had been abducted by Hiranyaksha. Naraka, as we shall call him henceforth, was evil. He stole Aditi Devi's divine earrings, and Lord Varuna's sacred umbrella, and took away the Mani Parvata, the peak of Meru, which was the sporting ground of the gods. He established himself in the fort of Pragjyotishapura, defended by rings of forts made up of, first, a crater-like outermost ring of hills, then a ring of sharp weapons, then a ring of fire, then a big moat of water, and then a wind curtain that would blow any intruder away. Finally, the innermost ring was a complex maze of metal chains that would entrap anyone. This was set up by Mura, another Asura in Naraka's service.
Bhagavan heard from Indra who came and pleaded that Bhagavan should retrieve the stolen items from Naraka and end his despotism. Sri Krishna summoned Garuda, and taking the spirited Satyabhama along, he went to attack Naraka.
The fortifications were stupendous but easy for Bhagavan to destroy one by one. First, he used his Gada to smash the rocks. Then he used his divine bow to rain arrows that broke down the weaponry. Then he used his Chakra to destroy the fire, water and wind curtains. Then he used his Nandaki sword to slash down all the chains Mura had erected.
At this juncture, hearing the blowing of Bhagavan's divine conch which shattered the hearts of Asuras in Pragjyorisha, Mura discovered how Bhagavan had broken down all their defences.
Mura was a five-headed demon who was hiding in the water ring. He now came and attacked Bhagavan Sri Krishna. Mura shone like the final inferno that destroys the world as he attacked Garuda with a Trident. His roar emanating from five mouths as he launched it shattered the three worlds with its sonic boom.
Sri Hari simply shattered that Trident midway before it came near Garuda. He then shot five arrows to Mura's five mouths at once. Mura launched his club. The Lord's own Kaumodiki Gada shattered it to smithereens. Mura now launched himself at Bhagavan, who simply cut of all his five heads with the Chakra. Mura's fall was like that of a mountain struck down by Indra's Vajra as he sank into the waters.
Mura's seven sons now came to avenge his death. With all their weapons, their simultaneous attack on Bhagavan was null and void as their weapons were all smashed to bits. Naraka saw how all these seven as well as his commander Pitha were sent to Yama's abode in quick time by Bhagavan Sri Krishna. Naraka now came out of his citadel mounted on a divine elephant captured from the Milky Ocean.
दृष्ट्वा सभार्यं गरुडोपरि स्थितं सूर्योपरिष्टात् सतडिद् घनं यथा ।
कृष्णं स तस्मै व्यसृजच्छतघ्नीं योधाश्च सर्वे युगपच्च विव्यधु: ॥
T: Naraka saw Sri Krishna, seated on Garuda along with his queen Satyabhama, and thought the sight looked like a huge rain cloud hovering over the sun with streaked lightning! (Sri Krishna was the raincloud, Satyabhama lightning, and Garuda was the sun). He attacked Sri Krishna and was followed by his soldiers.
Sri Krishna shot a torrent of arrows with ornate feathers that shattered at once these soldiers, their weapons and horses and elephants in short order. This was done by Bhagavan shooting three arrows each at every weapon launched, and Garuda with his mighty wings smashing to a fleshy mass the elephants and horses. The survivors now ran back into the city, a stranded Naraka stood alone to face Sri Hari,
दृष्ट्वा विद्रावितं सैन्यं गरुडेनार्दितं स्वकं । तं भौम: प्राहरच्छक्त्या वज्र: प्रतिहतो यत: ।
नाकम्पत तया विद्धो मालाहत इव द्विप: ॥
T: Naraka saw his army smashed by Garuda. He then launched his Shakti Ayudha which had countered even Indra's Vajra before, at Garuda. But Garuda stood unaffected like an elephant stands unconcerned when someone throws a garland around his neck!
Now, in a last, desperate move, Naraka attacked Sri Krishna with his Trident. But even before he made any progress with it, Sri Krishna cut off his head with the Sudarshana Chakra and ended the menace of this Asura, while he was being urged to do so by Satyabhama seated alongside on Garuda.
The death of Naraka was celebrated in the three worlds by people bathing, wearing their best clothes, lighting lamps, distributing sweets, and exchanging gifts to herald the new era of happy freedom. This is called Deepaavali.
Amidst exclamations of congratulations by Rishis and Devas, Bhumi Devi appeared in front of Sri Hari, and returned all the divine items stolen before by Naraka viz, Aditi's Kundalas, Varuna's Chattra, and Meru's Mani peak. She also presented the Lord the Vaijayanti Mala.
नमो भगवते तुभ्यं वासुदेवाय विष्णवे । पुरुषायादिबीजाय पूर्णबोधाय ते नम: ॥
T: Bhumi prayed: " I bow down to You, Bhagavan Vasudeva, Adi Purusha, Maha Vishnu and the embodiment of Eternal Wisdom."
She then appealed to Sri Krishna to show compassion to Naraka's son (i.e. her grandson) who stood in surrender. Sri Krishna compassionately blessed him to get wisdom and then entered the city.
In the city, Sri Krishna found sixteen thousand one hundred princesses held captive by Naraka after he had killed their kith and kin! All the princesses were in the most wretched condition with no one to look after them. Understanding their instinctive love and surrender to him, Sri Krishna accepted them as his own and had them released and conveyed in a royal procession with huge treasures retrieved from Pargjyotishapura. They all arrived ahead of Sri Krishna and Satyabhama in Dwaraka.
Sri Krishna now went on Garuda with Satyabhama to Indra's abode and was duly received with worship by Indra and his wife. Sri Krishna restored all the stolen property like Aditi's Kundalas. Then, realising Satyabhama's desire, Sri Krishna uprooted a Parijata tree and placed it on Garuda to be taken to her palace in Dwaraka. Strangely, this upset Indra who now attacked Sri Krishna. It was a matter of a little struggle in which Sri Krishna defeated Indra and his godly army and brought Satyabhama and the Parijata to Dwaraka.
सिद्धार्थ एतेन विगृह्यते महानहो सुराणां च तमो धिगाढ्यताम्
T: Sage Shuka remarks, " Is it not amazing that the Lord, infallible and always successful in His actions, is sometimes opposed even by the gods who out of their dense ignorance fail to see His divine will!?"
Sri Krishna arrived in Dwaraka to great festivities. He established a palace for each of the new queens- all 16,100 of them, and married them formally. Sage Shuka says that by his divine will, Bhagavan Sri Krishna multiplied himself and played the perfect loving husband and ideal householder with each of those wives in her respective palace, leaving no stone unturned to make his huge army of queens individually happy and fulfilled with no grievance at all!
***
॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
