Bala Kanda, Sarga 40

Meaning

“Hearing the representation of the gods the venerable Brahmā replied as follows to the gods, who were greatly alarmed, and had been thrown into confusion by the might of the sons of Sagara, who had brought about the destruction of living beings on a large scale : (1)

Meaning

“This Goddess Earth is a Consort of the all-wise Lord Viṣṇu, the Spouse of Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune, to whom this entire globe belongs. Assuming the form of Kapila the same almighty Lord incessantly supports the earth by dint of His yogic power. The sons of Sagara will be shortly consumed by the fire of His wrath. (2-3)

Meaning

“The excavation of the earth invariably takes place in every Kalpa. And the destruction of the sons of Sagara too is foreseen by men possessing a long range of vision. Hence there is no occasion for grief on this account either.” (4)

Meaning

Hearing the reply of Brahmā, the progenitor of the entire creation, the gods, thirty-three* in number, all capable of subduing their enemy, returned extremely delighted to their respective abode the way they had come. (5)

Meaning

And while the earth was being excavated at the hands of Sagara’s sons, there arose a terrific sound like that of a thunderstorm. (6)

Meaning

Having walked round the whole earth and excavated it too, all the sons of Sagara then sought the presence of their father and jointly made the following submission to him : (7)

Meaning

“The entire globe has been circumambulated and excavated and powerful gods, demons and ogres, fiends, serpents and Nāgas destroyed by us. (8)

Meaning

“Yet we have neither been able to trace the horse nor the stealer of the horse. What shall we do now? May your benign look descend on us and let a further plan of action be thought out for us in this matter.” (9)

Meaning

Hearing the aforesaid submission of those princes, O scion of Raghu, Sagara, the noblest of kings, angrily replied as follows: (10)

Meaning

“May prosperity attend you, excavate the earth further and, breaking it open, trace the stealer of the horse and return only when you have accomplished your purpose.” (11)

Meaning

Bowing to the command of their high-souled father, Sagara, the sixty thousand princes dug their way into Rasātala. (12)

Meaning

Even while the earth was being further tunnelled, they saw as a sequel to that excavation an elephant huge as a mountain, Virūpākṣa by name, guarding the eastern quarter and supporting the globe. (13)

Meaning

The great elephant Virūpākṣa, O scion of Raghu, supported on his head the entire globe including the mountains and forests. (14)

Meaning

Whenever, from exhaustion, O scion of Kakutstha, the great elephant shakes his head for the sake of relief, a convulsion of the earth’s surface ensues. (15)

Meaning

Walking clockwise round that great elephant guarding the quarter, and thereby showing their respect to him, O Rāma, they tunnelled their way through Rasātala indeed. (16)

Meaning

Having pierced the eastern quarter they then penetrated the southern quarter too, and in the southern quarter again they found the great elephant, Mahāpadma, endowed with a colossal body resembling a huge mountain and supporting the earth on his head, and experienced great wonder. (17-18)

Meaning

Walking round the elephant from left to right as a mark of respect, the sixty thousand sons of the high-souled Sagara penetrated the western quarter. (19)

Meaning

In the western quarter too those very mighty princes beheld the great elephant guarding that quarter, Saumanasa by name, that resembled a mountain in size. (20)

Meaning

Walking round the elephant clockwise and enquiring after his welfare, they then dug their way into the northern quarter, presided over by the moon-god. (21)

Meaning

In the north, O chief of the Raghus, they saw Bhadra, the elephant guarding that quarter, white as snow, supporting this globe on his beautiful body. (22)

Meaning

Touching the elephant and walking round him from left to right, all the sixty thousand princes set about digging the earth once more. (23)

Meaning

Proceeding in the celebrated north-easterly direction, presided over by Lord Śiva and as such held sacred for all holy undertakings, all the sons of Sagara continued digging the earth in an agitated mood. (24)

Meaning

All those high-minded and exceedingly mighty princes, possessed of tremendous speed, actually beheld there the eternal Lord Viṣṇu manifested in the form of Sage Kapila, as well as a horse grazing not very far from that glorious sage, on which they all experienced incomparable joy, O scion of Raghu ! (25-26)

Meaning

Thoughtlessly suspecting him to be the man who had interrupted the sacrificial performance by stealing away the sacrificial horse, they felt enraged and rushed towards him with their eyes bedimmed through anger, carrying spades and ploughs and various kinds of trees and rocks, and said, “Stop ! Stop !! You alone have stolen our sacrificial horse. (27-28)

Meaning

“Indeed, you know us to be the sons of Sagara arrived in a body, O evil-minded one !” Seized with fury to hear that threat of theirs, O scion of Raghu, Kapila forthwith uttered the sound ‘hum’, expressive of contempt. The very next moment the sons of Sagara were all burnt and reduced to a heap of ashes by that high-souled Sage Kapila of immeasurable glory. (29-30)