Madhavaya namah.

Maharishi Śuka continued,

“The demons were taken aback when, as against their expectations, the Devatas did not flee the battlefield hearing their terrifying roars. That they were getting ready for battle was totally perplexing! It was unusual. To add to this, Lord Indra was pushing forth aggressively and ferociously.

Mounted his vehicle Airavata, Indra shone like the morning Sun situated upon the eastern mountains, which are filled with innumerable streams. He was surrounded by all the Devatas who had mounted their respective vehicles, all of which were decorated with colourful flags. All the Devatas were equipped with their weapons. Vayu, Agni, Varuṇa, Kubera, and other Guardian-deities surrounded him on all sides together with their troops.

The Devatas and demons, both of whom were experts in battle, now stood face to face. Initially, they verbally abused each other. They then challenged their opponents, who were equal in might to them, for battle and pushed forward.

O emperor, listen! Bali fought Indra; Varuṇa fought Heti and Mitra fought Praheti. Lord Kumaraswamy hurled his weapons upon demon Tāraka. Lord Yama fought Kālanābha, Vishwakarma fought demon Maya; Tvaṣṭa fought Śambara and Savita with Virocana.

The devata Aparājita fought Namuci; the two Ashwini-kumara brothers fought Vṛṣaparva; Sun-god battled with the hundred sons of Bali led by Bāṇa. Moon-god fought Rāhu; Wind-god Vāyu fought Puloma; the ever-powerful Goddess Bhadrakāḷi fought demons Śumbha and Niśumbha.

Śiva fought Jambha; Fire-god Agni fought Mahiṣa; while demons Vatāpi and Ilvala fought Marici and other mind-born sons of Lord Brahma. Demon Durmarṣa fought Manmatha; Utkaḷa fought Mātṛka and other Goddesses. Guru Brhaspati fought with Śukracharya, the guru for demons. Lord Śani fought with demon Naraka. The divine troops called Marutt fought with demon troops called Nivātakavaca. The Devatas called Vasus fought demon troops called Kāleyas while the Devata-troops called Viśvadeva fought with demon-troops called Poulomas. Rudras fought with demons Krodhavaśa.

In this way, the demons and Devatas attacked one another. In their goal of obtaining victory, they, with all their migh,t pierced each other with sharp arrows, swords, spears and sticks The entire universe reverberated with the noise from the battlefield. It appeared as if the sky would come crashing down due to that tumultuous noise.

Using bhuṣunḍis, discus, maces, swords, long-swords and other types of swords, energy-weapons, lances, spears, axes, bludgeons, hammer-shaped weapons, bhallas, praśas, iron pestles, and sharp arrows they began to chop off the enemy’s heads. The necks, legs, arms and thighs of the warriors who were mounted on elephants, horses and chariots, as well as those of the foot soldiers, were all chopped off.

Chariots and all other types of heavy vehicles were broken into pieces. The flags that were atop the chariots, the shields worn by the warriors, their crowns, ornaments, arrows lay scattered everywhere. Due to the scattered thighs of the warriors, their weapons and their broken chariots the entire battlefield was filled with dust and other tiny particles, which enveloped all directions and even reached as far as the Sun. Due to the droplets of blood that arose from the blood-filled battlefield, the dust that covered the space dried up. The entire battlefield was filled with severed heads, long powerful arms, thighs that were as huge as the elephant’s trunks, ornaments and weapons. The crowns on some heads lay intact. From some heads the crowns and earrings were flung elsewhere. Some of the severed heads had angry-reddened eyes while in some other heads the teeth were clasped against the lips in anger. Headless bodies, holding weapons were rushing towards the enemy. They were seeing using the eyes situated in their heads that had been severed.

Emperor Bali now attacked Lord Indra with ten arrows. He attacked Indra’s elephant Airavata with three arrows and the four body guards with four arrows and the mahout with one arrow. Indra, the Lord who possesses great prowess, smiled gently and released equal number of arrows which, in the mid-air, broke into pieces the arrows dispatched by Bali. Bali, who was infuriated with this, retaliated by taking up a powerful energized weapon (śakti) which illumined like fire. However Indra broke this weapon even before Bali could release it.

Thereafter Bali hurled spears, prasa, iron clubs, swords and various other weapons. However Indra instantaneously shred into pieces every weapon that Bali took up in his hands. Bali, the demon king, then made himself invisible and began to use illusionary tactics. All of a sudden, a gigantic mountain appeared above the Devata army. From that mountain, huge trees that were burning due to a raging forest fire and sharp needle pointed stones fell upon the Devatas, smashing them completely. Large snakes, pythons, scorpions, lions, tigers and wild pigs fell from the mountain and began to kill the elephants and other animals used by Devatas in the war. Hundreds of naked demons and demonesses, holding spears in their hands, fell from the mountain awfully screaming, ‘Chop them, kill them’.

Dark clouds filled the skies. Due to high intensity winds, these clouds collided with one another making thunderous roaring noises. They rained burning coal pieces. Demon Bali now created a huge fire which as fierce as the devastating fire of destruction.

Madhavaya namah