True protection lies not in physical invulnerability but in remembrance of Narayana; the soul's consciousness alone determines its destination.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Six Dictation Chapter 12, Verse 24 -- 35 Chapter 13, Verse 01 -- 02 — August 11, 1975, Paris 750811DT-PARIS [17:12 Minutes] Dictation-SB-06.12.24-35_750811DT-PARIS Prabhupāda: hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa ṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Sixth Canto, Twelfth Chapter, verse number 24. āvidhya parighaṁ vṛtraḥ kārṣṇāyasam arindamaḥ indrāya prāhiṇod ghoraṁ vāma-hastena māriṣa [SB 6.12.24] āvidhya—whirling round; parigham—iron trident; vṛtraḥ—Vṛtrāsura; kārṣṇa-ayasam—the trident made of iron; arim-damaḥ—Vṛtrāsura, who was competent enough to subdue his enemy; indrāya—unto Indra; prāhiṇot—threw, or released upon him; ghoram—three fearceful; vāma-hastena—by his left hand; māriṣa—O best of the kings, Mahārāja Parīkṣit. Translation: O the best of the kings, Mahārāja Parīkṣit, Vṛtrāsura was completely able to subdue his enemy, took his trident made of iron and, whirling it around, he aimed at Indra and then he released upon him. Text number 25. sa tu vṛtrasya parighaṁ karamca karabhopamam ciccheda yugapad devo vajreṇa śata-parvaṇā [SB 6.12.25] saḥ—King Indra; tu—however; vṛtrasya—Vṛtrāsura; parigham—the iron trident; karamca—as well as his hand; karabha-upamam—and which was as strong as the trunk of an elephant; ciccheda—cut into pieces; yugapat—simultaneously; vajreṇa—with the thunderbolt; śata-parvaṇā—by the name Śataparvan. Translation: Indra also by his thunderbolt of the name Śataparvan simultaneously cut into pieces the trident released by Vṛtrāsura as well as his hand cut into pieces. Text number 26. dorbhyām utkṛtta-mūlābhyāṁ babhau rakta-sravo 'suraḥ chinna-pakṣo yathā gotraḥ khād bhraṣṭo vajriṇā hataḥ [SB 6.12.26] dorbhyām—by the two arms; utkṛtta-mūlābhyām—cut from the very root; babhau—he was; rakta-sravaḥ—profusely discharging blood; asuraḥ—Vṛtrāsura; chinna-pakṣaḥ—cut by the wings; yathā—as in: as; gotraḥ—the mountain; khāt bhraṣṭaḥ—falling from the sky; vajriṇā—by Indra, who uses the thunderbolt; hataḥ—killed. Translation: Vṛtrāsura, being cut off by the two arms, profusely discharged blood, and he looked very beautiful, exactly as a mountain, or flying mountain killed by Indra being cut into pieces, the wings. Purport: It appears from the statement of this verse that sometimes there are flying mountains also with wings, which are cut by the thunderbolt of Indra.
Vṛtrāsura looked like that, although he was not a mountain, but his huge body appeared to be like mountain. Text number 27, 28 and 29. mahā-prāṇo mahā-vīryo mahā-sarpa iva dvipam kṛtvādharāṁ hanuṁ bhūmau daityo divy uttarāṁ hanum nabho-gambhīra-vaktreṇa leliholbaṇa-jihvayā daṁṣṭrābhiḥ kāla-kalpābhir grasann iva jagat-trayam atimātra-mahā-kāya ākṣipaṁs tarasā girīn giri-rāṭ pāda-cārīva padbhyāṁ nirjarayan mahīm jagrāsa sa samāsādya vajriṇaṁ saha-vāhanam [SB 6.12.27-29] mahā-prāṇaḥ—very, very highly strong by bodily strength; mahā-vīryaḥ—showing uncommonly prowess; mahā-sarpaḥ—the biggest snake; iva—like; dvipam—as if another planet; kṛtvā—throwing; adharām—down; hanum—chin; bhūmau—on the ground; daityaḥ—by the asura; divy uttarām hanum—for the upper part of the chin; hanum—chin; nabhaḥ—sky; gambhīra—deep; vaktreṇa—by the mouth; leliha—skin; ulbaṇa—flames; [indistinct]-jihvayā—by the tongue; daṁṣṭrābhiḥ—by the teeth; kāla-kalpābhiḥ—exactly like the time factor, at the time of death; grasan—swallowing; iva—like; jagat-trayam—the three worlds; ati-mātra—very, very high; mahā-kāyaḥ—assuming a very great body; ākṣipan—pulling; tarasā—with great force; girīn—the mountains; giri-rāṭ—as the Himalaya Mountains; pāda-cārīva—as if moving by the legs; padbhyāṁ—by the legs; nirjarayan—punishing; mahīm—the surface of the world; jagrāsa—swallowed up; saḥ—he; samāsādya—by capturing; vajriṇam—Indra, who carries the thunderbolt; saha-vāhanam—along with carrier, the elephant. Translation: Vṛtrāsura was very, very powerful by bodily strength and influence. Now he kept his lower part of the chin on the ground and the other part, the upper part, expanded to the sky. In this way his mouth became very, very big, and his tongue just like big serpent, and at the time of his death he was just trying to chew the whole universe by stealth. This way the great demon Vṛtrāsura, assuming a very, very big body, began to chastise even the mountain, and by his legs he began to dismantle the surface of the earth, as if Himalayan mountain is moving this way.
He came before Indra, and thus he swallowed up Indra along with his carrier the elephant, exactly like a big python swallows up a big elephant. Text number 30. vṛtra-grastaṁ tam ālokya saprajāpatayaḥ surāḥ hā kaṣṭam iti nirviṇṇāś cukruśuḥ samaharṣayaḥ [SB 6.12.30] vṛtra-grastam—Indra thus being swallowed up by Vṛtrāsura; tam—him; ālokya—seeing in that situation; sa-prajāpatayaḥ—along with Lord Brahmā and other prajāpatis; surāḥ—all the demigods; hā kaṣṭam—oh, what a tribulation; iti—thus; nirviṇṇāḥ—being very much morose; cukruśuḥ—began to lament; sa-mahā-ṛṣayaḥ—along with the great sages. Translation: When it was seen that Indra was swallowed up by the great demon, at that time the prajāpatis and Lord Brahmā and other great, great saintly persons, all the demigods, became very, very morose and began to say, "What a tribulation, tribulation!" Thus began to lament. Text number 31. nigīrṇo 'py asurendreṇa na mamārodaraṁ gataḥ mahāpuruṣa-sannaddho yogamāyā-balena ca [SB 6.12.31] nigīrṇaḥ—swallowed up; api—although; asura-indreṇa—by the best of the asuras, Vṛtrāsura; na—not; mamāra—died; udaram—within the abdomen; gataḥ—although he was put into there; mahā-puruṣa—the Supreme Lord, Nārāyaṇa; sannaddhaḥ—being accomplished by the talisman known as Nārāyaṇa-kavaca; yoga-māyā-balena—as realized by the mystic power which Indra possessed himself; ca—although also. Translation: The Nārāyaṇa talisman which Indra possessed is as good as Nārāyaṇa the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore being protected by that talisman as well as by dint of his mystic power, King Indra, although swallowed up within the belly of Vṛtrāsura, he did not die. Text number 32. bhittvā vajreṇa tat-kukṣiṁ niṣkramya bala-bhid vibhuḥ uccakarta śiraḥśatror giri-śṛṅgam ivaujasā [SB 6.12.32] bhittvā—piercing through; vajreṇa—by the thunderbolt; tat-kukṣim—the abdomen of Vṛtrāsura; niṣkramya—getting out; bala-bhit—with great power; vibhuḥ—the powerful Lord Indra; uccakarta—cut into pieces; śiraḥ—his head; śatroḥ—in Indra; giri-śṛṅgam—the peak of mountain; iva—like that; ojasā—great force. Translation: King Indra also was very, very powerful. Thus by his thunderbolt he pierced through the abdomen of Vṛtrāsura, and with great force he immediately cut into two the head of Vṛtrāsura, which was as high as the peak of a mountain. Text number 33. vajras tu tat-kandharam āśu-vegaḥ kṛntan samantāt parivartamānaḥ nyapātayat tāvad ahar-gaṇena yo jyotiṣām ayane vārtra-hatye [SB 6.12.33] vajras tu—the thunderbolt also; tat-kandharam—Vṛtrāsura's neck; āśu-vegaḥ—great force; kṛntan—to cut into two; samantāt—all round; parivartamānaḥ—was rotating to cut the head; nyapātayat—caused ultimately cut into two; tāvat—taking so much time; ahaḥ-gaṇena—so many days; yaḥ—that which; jyotiṣām—of the luminaries sun, moon and other planets; ayane—moving two sides of the equator; vārtra-hatye—took so much time just to kill Vṛtrāsura. Translation: The thunderbolt, although rotating round the neck of Vṛtrāsura with great force, still, to separate the head from the body took complete one year, 360 days, which is taken by the sun, moon and other luminaries complete one year, or 360 days. This way the head of Vṛtrāsura fell down on the ground. Text number 34. tadā ca khe dundubhayo vinedur gandharva-siddhāḥ samaharṣi-saṅghāḥ vārtra-ghna-liṅgais tam abhiṣṭuvānā mantrair mudā kusumair abhyavarṣan [SB 6.12.34] tadā—at that time; ca—also; khe—in the higher planetary systems in the sky; dundubhayaḥ—the kettledrums in Indra's planet; vineduḥ—sounded; gandharva—the planetary system known as Gandharvaloka; siddhāḥ—the planet which is known as Siddhaloka; sa-maharṣi-saṅghāḥ—along with seven saintly persons residing in the planet known as sapta-ṛṣi saṅga, their group, the seven stars group; vārtra-ghna-liṅgaiḥ—in the form of killer of Vṛtrāsura; abhiṣṭuvānāḥ—just offering prayers unto Indra; mantraiḥ—by various mantra; tam—unto Indra; kusumaiḥ—by flowers; abhyavarṣan—by showering flowers upon him. Translation: In this way, when Vṛtrāsura was killed, at that time in the higher planetary system, namely the heavenly planets, Gandharvaloka, Siddhaloka, there was beating of the kettledrums in jubilation, and by Vedic hymns they begun to eulogize Indra by showering flowers upon him. Text number 35. vṛtrasya dehān niṣkrāntam ātma-jyotir arindama paśyatāṁ sarva-devānām alokaṁ samapadyata [SB 6.12.35] vṛtrasya—Vṛtrāsura; dehāt—from the body; niṣkrāntam—by coming out; ātma-jyotiḥ—the spirit soul, as brilliant as the effulgence of Brahmā; arim-dama—O the King Parīkṣit, who can subdue his enemies; paśyatām—as seen by; sarva-devānām—all the demigods; alokam—the supreme abode, full of Brahman effulgence; samapadyata—he achieved. Translation: O the King Parīkṣit, subduer of enemies, at that time from the body of Vṛtrāsura the spark, a living being, came out, and in order to go back to home, back to Godhead by all the demigods seeing, he entered in the transcendental world to become associate of Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa in the spiritual world. Purport: Śrīla Viśvanātha CakravartīṬhākura in this way gives an explanation that actually Vṛtrāsura was not killed; Indra was killed.
He said that while Vṛtrāsura swallowed up King Indra along with his carrier elephant, certainly he thought, "Now Indra is finished. I have killed Indra, so there is no more use of fighting. Now let me go back to home, back to Godhead." In this way he became situated in trance, stopping his all bodily activities. Taking advantage of the silence of the Lord, Indra came out of the belly, piercing through the abdomen.
Because Vṛtrāsura was in trance, it was possible for him to come out. Now Vṛtrāsura was in yoga-samādhi, therefore his neck became very, very stiff. Although King Indra wanted to cut his throat, it was so stiff that his thunderbolt took complete 360 days to cut into pieces. Actually, it was the body left by Vṛtrāsura that was cut into pieces by Indra; Vṛtrāsura himself was not killed.
He, in his original consciousness, went back to home, back to Godhead, to become associate with Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa. Here alokam means the transcendental world, or the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, where Saṅkarṣaṇa resides eternally. Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Twelfth Chapter, Sixth Canto, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Next, Thirteenth Chapter. The summary of the thirteenth chapter is as follows: In this chapter it is described that Indra was very much afraid of killing a brāhmaṇa. Vṛtrāsura was a brāhmaṇa, thus he fled from the scene, and how he was saved by the grace of Lord Viṣṇu is described in this chapter.
The story is like this. When all the demigods combined together requested Indra to kill Vṛtrāsura, who was a brāhmaṇa, he refused to do it. All the demigods, however, encouraged Indra that he should not be afraid of killing a brāhmaṇa, because Indra was being protected by Nārāyaṇa-kavaca, or by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Nārāyaṇa. As such, even by a glimpse of chanting the name of Nārāyaṇa, one becomes free from all the sinful reactions of killing woman, cow, brāhmaṇa.