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Canto 10

Nava Gaura Varam

 

 

Chapter 67: Balarāma Slays the Ape Dvivida

(1) The honorable king said: 'I wish to hear more about Balarāma, the Unlimited and Immeasurable Lord whose activities are so amazing. What else did He do?'

(2) S'rī S'uka said: 'There was a certain ape named Dvivida ['the two-faced one'], a friend of Naraka [or Bhaumāsura, see 10.59]. He was the mighty brother of Mainda and an advisor of Sugrīva [the monkey-chief, see also 9.10: 32, *]. (3) In order to avenge his friend [who was killed by Krishna] this ape wreaked havoc by setting fire to the cities, villages, mines and cowherd communities of the kingdom. (4) Sometimes he tore loose rocks and devastated with them all regions, especially the province of Ānarta where the Lord resided who had killed his friend. (5) Then again he stood in the middle of the ocean and, with a force of ten thousand elephants, with his arms churned the ocean water, thus flooding the coastal regions. (6) At the ās'ramas of the exalted seers he wickedly broke down the trees and fouled the sacrificial fires with urine and stool. (7) In a mountain valley he, like a wasp hiding an insect, brutally threw men and women in caves that he sealed with large boulders. (8) Thus ravaging the lands and [even] defiling women of standing, he [one day] heard very sweet singing originating from the mountain named Raivataka and went hither. (9-10) There he saw Balarāma, the Lord of the Yadus, who, most attractive in all His limbs and wearing a lotus garland, was positioned in the midst of a bevy of women. Intoxicated from drinking vārunī [see also 10.65: 19] He rolled with His eyes and was singing, while His body shone as magnificently as an elephant in rut. (11) The mischievous tree-dweller climbed on a branch and presented himself by shaking the tree and crying out frantically. (12) Seeing his impudence Baladeva's consorts laughed out loud. The women, in for some fun, at first thought little of it. (13) The ape ridiculed them with odd gestures of his eyebrows and such, and showed them, while Rāma was watching, his bare behind straight in front of them. (14-15) Balarāma, the best of all launchers, angrily threw a rock at him, but the rascal ape made fun of Him dodging it, seized the jar of liquor and further aggravated Him. Wickedly laughing he broke the jar and pulled at the ladies' clothes. Full of false pride about his power, he thus with his insults offended the Strong One. (16) Faced with the rudeness and the ravage this terror created all around, He full of anger took up His club and plow, determined to kill the enemy. (17) So also did the mighty Dvivida. He uprooted a s'āla tree with one hand, ran toward Balarāma and struck Him on the head with it. (18) But as it descended on His head, Sankarshana, unperturbed like a mountain, with His great strength took hold of it and struck back with His Sunanda [His club]. (19-21) Hit on his skull by the club, the ape, with the resulting downpour of blood, looked as nice as a mountain red of oxide. Ignoring the blow, he next charged in his turn, again violently uprooting and stripping another tree. But Balarāma, now really getting angry, smashed it into a hundred pieces, just as He did with yet another one that by the ape was taken up in great fury. (22) Time and again being beaten by the Supreme Lord, he, thus raging with everywhere uprooting the forest, stripped it of all its trees. (23) Frustrated about it he thereupon released a hail of stones over Baladeva, but the Wielder of the Club pulverized them all with ease. (24) With both his arms as big as palm trees the champion of the apes, clenching his fists, attacked the Son of Rohinī and beat Him on the chest. (25) The Great Lord of the Yadus thereupon threw aside His club and plow, and hammered him with His hands furiously on the collarbone, so that Dvivida vomited blood and came down. (26) Because of the fall he made, the mountain with all its cliffs and trees shook, oh tiger among the Kurus, just like a boat by the wind tossed about in the water. (27) 'Jaya!', 'All glories!' and 'Excellent!', the enlightened souls, the perfected ones and the great sages residing in heaven exclaimed and poured down a shower of flowers.

(28) Thus having finished Dvivida who wreaked havoc in the world, the Supreme Lord, upon entering the city, was glorified by the people singing hymns.'
  

 

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Third revised edition, loaded August 2, 2021.

 

 

 

 

Previous Aadhar edition and Vedabase links:

Text 1

The honorable king said: 'I wish to hear more about Balarāma, the Unlimited and Immeasurable Lord whose activities are so amazing. What else did He do?'
The honorable king said: 'I wish to hear further of Rāma the Unlimited and Immeasurable One whose activities are so amazing; what else did the Prabhu do?' (Vedabase)

 

Text 2

S'rī S'uka said: 'There was a certain ape named Dvivida ['the two-faced one'], a friend of Naraka [or Bhaumāsura, see 10.59]. He was the mighty brother of Mainda and an advisor of Sugrīva [the monkey-chief, see also 9.10: 32, *].

S'rī S'uka said: 'There was a certain ape named Dvivida ['the two-faced one'], a friend of Naraka [or Bhaumāsura, see 10.59], who as the mighty brother of Mainda had been Sugrīva [the monkey-chief, see also 9.10: 32] his adviser [*]. (Vedabase)

 

Text 3

In order to avenge his friend [who was killed by Krishna] this ape wreaked havoc by setting fire to the cities, villages, mines and cowherd communities of the kingdom.

The ape to avenge his friend [who was killed by Krishna] wreaked havoc setting fire to the cities, villages, mines and cowherd communities of the kingdom. (Vedabase)

  

Text 4

Sometimes he tore loose rocks and devastated with them all regions, especially the province of Ānarta where the Lord resided who had killed his friend.

Some day he tore loose rocks and devastated with them all the lands of the province of Ānarta, especially at those places where the Killer of his friend, the Lord, dwelt [in Dvārakā]. (Vedabase)

 

Text 5

Then again he stood in the middle of the ocean and, with a force of ten thousand elephants, with his arms churned the ocean water, thus flooding the coastal regions.

The other day stood he at the shore in the midst of the ocean to churn with a force of ten thousand elephants with his arms the ocean its water and flooded he the coastal regions. (Vedabase)

 

Text 6

At the ās'ramas of the exalted seers he wickedly broke down the trees and fouled the sacrificial fires with urine and stool.

At the ās'ramas of the exalted seers he wickedly broke down the trees and fouled the sacrificial fires with urine and stool. (Vedabase)

 

Text 7

In a mountain valley he, like a wasp hiding an insect, brutally threw men and women in caves that he sealed with large boulders.

Like a wasp hiding an insect, threw he brutally men and women in a mountain valley in caves which he sealed with large boulders. (Vedabase)

    

Text 8

Thus ravaging the lands and [even] defiling women of standing, he [one day] heard very sweet singing originating from the mountain named Raivataka and went hither.
Thus ravaging the lands and [even] defiling women of standing went he, [some day] hearing the sweetest music, to the mountain named Raivataka. (Vedabase)

 

Text 9-10

There he saw Balarāma, the Lord of the Yadus, who, most attractive in all His limbs and wearing a lotus garland, was positioned in the midst of a bevy of women. Intoxicated from drinking vārunī [see also 10.65: 19] He rolled with His eyes and was singing, while His body shone as magnificently as an elephant in rut.

There he saw Balarāma the Lord of the Yadus wearing a lotus garland, most attractive in all His limbs in the midst of a bevy of women while He with rolling eyes was singing, intoxicated of drinking vārunī [see also 10.65: 19]. His body had therewith a brilliant glow like that of an elephant in rut.(Vedabase)

  

Text 11

The mischievous tree-dweller climbed on a branch and presented himself by shaking the tree and crying out frantically.

The mischievous tree-dweller climbed on a branch and presented himself by shaking the tree and crying out frantically. (Vedabase)

 

Text 12

Seeing his impudence Baladeva's consorts laughed out loud. The women, in for some fun, at first thought little of it.

Seeing his impudence laughed Baladeva's consorts out aloud; as women in for some fun they at first thought little of it. (Vedabase)

 

Text 13

The ape ridiculed them with odd gestures of his eyebrows and such, and showed them, while Rāma was watching, his bare behind straight in front of them.

The ape ridiculed them with odd gestures of his eyebrows and such and showed right in front of them as Rāma was watching, his arse to them. (Vedabase)

  

Text 14-15

Balarāma, the best of all launchers, angrily threw a rock at him, but the rascal ape made fun of Him dodging it, seized the jar of liquor and further aggravated Him. Wickedly laughing he broke the jar and pulled at the ladies' clothes. Full of false pride about his power, he thus with his insults offended the Strong One.

Balarāma, the best of launchers, threw angry a rock at him, but the rascal ape made fun of Him dodging it and seizing the jar of liquor, and further aggravated Him by wickedly laughing breaking the jar and pulling the ladies' clothes; and thus was he, with all his power, full of false pride with his insults offending the Strong One. (Vedabase)

    

Text 16

Faced with the rudeness and the ravage this terror created all around, He full of anger took up His club and plow, determined to kill the enemy.

Faced with his rudeness and the ravage all around created by his terror, took He angry up His club and plow, decided to kill the enemy. (Vedabase)

 

Text 17

So also did the mighty Dvivida. He uprooted a s'āla tree with one hand, ran toward Balarāma and struck Him on the head with it.

Dvivida also of great talents uprooted a s'āla tree with one hand and struck swiftly approaching Balarāma on the head with it. (Vedabase)

 

Text 18

But as it descended on His head, Sankarshana, unperturbed like a mountain, with His great strength took hold of it and struck back with His Sunanda [His club].

But Sankarshana like a mountain unshaken most strong took hold of it as it descended on His head and struck him back with Sunanda [His club]. (Vedabase)

  

Text 19-21

Hit on his skull by the club, the ape, with the resulting downpour of blood, looked as nice as a mountain red of oxide. Ignoring the blow, he next charged in his turn, again violently uprooting and stripping another tree. But Balarāma, now really getting angry, smashed it into a hundred pieces, just as He did with yet another one that by the ape was taken up in great fury.

Hit by the club on his skull looked he with the resulting downpour of blood as nice as a mountain red of oxide. On his turn charged he next, ignoring the blow, uprooting and stripping another tree violently again, but Balarāma now enraged smashed it into a hundred pieces just as He did with another one that was taken up with great fury. (Vedabase)

 

Text 22

Time and again being beaten by the Supreme Lord, he, thus raging with everywhere uprooting the forest, stripped it of all its trees.

By the Supreme Lord time and again being beaten and beaten, stripped he that way raging with his uprooting the forest of all its trees. (Vedabase)

 

Text 23

Frustrated about it he thereupon released a hail of stones over Baladeva, but the Wielder of the Club pulverized them all with ease.

When he, frustrated, next released a hail of stones over Baladeva, pulverized the Wielder of the Club them all with ease. (Vedabase)

  

 Text 24

With both his arms as big as palm trees the champion of the apes, clenching his fists, attacked the Son of Rohinī and beat Him on the chest.

With the both his arms as big as palm trees clenching his fists, charged the champion of the apes now the Son of Rohinī and beated he Him on the chest. (Vedabase)

 

Text 25

The Great Lord of the Yadus thereupon threw aside His club and plow, and hammered him with His hands furiously on the collarbone, so that Dvivida vomited blood and came down.

The Great Lord of the Yadus thereupon threw aside His club and plow and hammered with His hands him furiously on the collarbone so that Dvivida fell down vomiting blood. (Vedabase)

  

Text 26

Because of the fall he made, the mountain with all its cliffs and trees shook, oh tiger among the Kurus, just like a boat by the wind tossed about in the water.

Of the impact of him shook the mountain with all its cliffs and trees, o tiger among the Kurus, like it was a boat in the water tossed by the wind. (Vedabase)

 

 Text 27

'Jaya!', 'All glories!' and 'Excellent!', the enlightened souls, the perfected ones and the great sages residing in heaven exclaimed and poured down a shower of flowers.

Sounding 'Jaya!', 'All glories!' and 'Excellent!', poured the enlightened, the perfected and the great sages residing in heaven down a shower of flowers. (Vedabase)

 

 Text 28

Thus having finished Dvivida who wreaked havoc in the world, the Supreme Lord, upon entering the city, was glorified by the people singing hymns.'

Thus having finished Dvivida who wreaked havoc in the world, was the Supreme Lord upon entering the city by the people glorified with hymns.' (Vedabase)

 

*: According to S'rīla Jīva Gosvāmī, the Mainda and Dvivida mentioned in this verse are empowered expansions of the same Ramāyana deities, who as residents of Lord Rāmacandra's Vaikunthha domain fell down because of an offense against Lakshmāna. S'rīla Vis'vanātha Cakravartī compares the fall out of bad association with Naraka, made by Dvivida and Mainda - whom he considers eternally liberated devotees - to the fall of Jaya and Vijaya.

 

 

 

 

 

Creative
                    Commons License
The text and audio are offered under the conditions of the
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
The painting is titled 'Dvivida' and is found at the Smithsionian Sackler Gallery.
Production: Filognostic Association of The Order of Time.


 

 

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