Canto 10: The Summum BonumChapter 88: Lord Śiva Saved from Vṛkāsura

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.88.18-19

devopalabdhim aprāpya

nirvedāt saptame 'hani

śiro 'vṛścat sudhitinā

tat-tīrtha-klinna-mūrdhajam

tadā mahā-kāruṇiko sa dhūrjaṭir

yathā vayaḿ cāgnir ivotthito 'nalāt

nigṛhya dorbhyāḿ bhujayor nyavārayat

tat-sparśanād bhūya upaskṛtākṛtiḥ

SYNONYMS

deva — of the lord; upalabdhim — sight; aprāpya — not obtaining; nirvedāt — out of frustration; saptame — on the seventh; ahani — day; śiraḥ — his head; avṛścat — was about to cut off; sudhitinā — with a hatchet; tat — of that (Kedāranātha); tīrthain (waters of) the holy place; klinna — having wetted; mūrdha-jam — the hair of his head; tadā — then; mahā — supremely; kāruṇikaḥ — merciful; saḥhe; dhūrjaṭiḥ — Lord Śiva; yathā — just as; vayam — we; ca — also; agniḥ — the god of fire; iva — appearing like; utthitaḥ — risen; analāt — from the fire; nigṛhya — seizing; dorbhyām — with his arms; bhujayoḥ — his (Vṛka's) arms; nyavārayathe stopped him; tat — his (Lord Śiva's); sparśanāt — by the touch; bhūyaḥ — again; upaskṛta — well formed; ākṛtiḥ — his body.

TRANSLATION

Vṛkāsura became frustrated aher failing to obtain a vision of the lord. Finally, on the seventh day, after dipping his hair into the holy waters at Kedāranātha and leaving it wet, he took up a hatchet and prepared to cut off his head. But at that very moment the supremely merciful Lord Śiva rose up out of the sacrificial fire, looking like the god of fire himself, and grabbed both arms of the demon to stop him from killing himself, just as we would do. By Lord Śiva's touch, Vṛkāsura once again became whole.

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