SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM: CANTO 3

Maitreya said: 'Hearing the explanation of Brahmâ about the cause of the fear, freed the ones who were of the transcendental. Then all of them returned to the threefold of their worlds.

S'rî Maitreya said: The demigods, the inhabitants of the higher planets, were freed from all fear upon hearing the cause of the darkness explained by Brahmâ, who was born from Vishnu. Thus they all returned to their respective planets. (Vedabase)

Text 2

Diti the virtuous lady, apprehensive about the trouble for a lifetime her husband had spoken of in relation to her children, begot a twin, two sons.

The virtuous lady Diti had been very apprehensive of trouble to the gods from the children in her womb, and her husband predicted the same. She brought forth twin sons after a full one hundred years of pregnancy. (Vedabase)

Text 3

When they were born, there were many natural disturbances in the divine, the earthly and in outer space which caused great fear to the world.

On the birth of the two demons there were many natural disturbances, all very fearful and wonderful, in the heavenly planets, the earthly planets and in between them. (Vedabase)

Text 4

The mountains and the earth shook with earthquakes and there seemed to be coming fire from all directions with meteors falling, thunderbolts, comets and inauspicious constellations.

There were earthquakes along the mountains on the earth, and it appeared that there was fire everywhere. Many inauspicious planets like Saturn appeared, along with comets, meteors and thunderbolts. (Vedabase)

Text 5

Sharp winds blew constantly making hissing sounds and armies of cyclons uprooted the greatest trees with dustclouds for their ensigns.

There blew winds which were most uninviting to the touch, hissing again and again and uprooting gigantic trees. They had storms for their armies and clouds of dust for their ensigns. (Vedabase)

Text 6

Amassing clouds obscured the luminaries with lightning laughing aloud in the sky; everything was enveloped in darkness and nothing could be seen.

The luminaries in the heavens were screened by masses of clouds, in which lightning sometimes flashed as though laughing. Darkness reigned everywhere, and nothing could be seen. (Veda b ase)

Text 7

Stricken with sorrow, the ocean wailed with high waves and agitated creatures and the drinking places and the rivers were disturbed with the lotusses withering.

The ocean with its high waves wailed aloud as if stricken with sorrow, and there was a commotion among the creatures inhabiting the ocean. The rivers and lakes were also agitated, and lotuses withered. (Vedabase)

Text 8

All the time misty haloes appeared around the sun and moon that had eclipses, claps of thunder were heard and ratling sounds of chariots resounded from the mountain caves.

Misty halos appeared around the sun and the moon during solar and lunar eclipses again and again. Claps of thunder were heard even without clouds, and sounds like those of rattling chariots emerged from the mountain caves. (Vedabase)

Text 9

Inside the villages fearful jackhals vomited fire from their mouths with cries of owls and the ominous howling along of she-jackhals.

In the interior of the villages she-jackals yelled portentously, vomiting strong fire from their mouths, and jackals and owls also joined them with their cries. (Vedabase)

Text 10

As if singing at times and then like wailing did the dogs raise their heads uttering various cries.

Raising their necks, dogs cried here and there, now in the manner of singing and now of wailing. (Vedabase)

Text 11

The asses, o Vidura, where striking the earth hard with their hooves braying wildly running mad hither and thither in herds.

O Vidura, the asses ran hither and thither in herds, striking the earth with their hard hooves and wildly braying. (Vedabase)

Text 12

Shrieking from the stir birds flew frightened up from their nests and the cattle passed dung and urine in the cowsheds and the woods.

Frightened by the braying of the asses, birds flew shrieking from their nests, while cattle in the cowsheds as well as in the woods passed dung and urine. (Vedabase)

Text 13

The cows afraid yielded blood and clouds rained pus; the idols shed tears and trees fell down without a blast of wind.

Cows, terrified, yielded blood in place of milk, clouds rained pus, the images of the gods in the temples shed tears, and trees fell down without a blast of wind. (Vedabase)

Text 14

The most auspicious planets and the other luminaries where in conjunction, had retrograde courses or took conflicting positions.

Ominous planets such as Mars and Saturn shone brighter and surpassed the auspicious ones such as Mercury, Jupiter and Venus as well as a number of lunar mansions. Taking seemingly retrograde courses, the planets came in conflict with one another. (Vedabase)

Text 15

Seeing more of this, not knowing the secret of all these great omens of evil, were all the people, except for the sons of Brahmâ, afraid and thought they that the world was about to end.

Marking these and many other omens of evil times, everyone but the four sage-sons of Brahmâ, who were aware of the fall of Jaya and Vijaya and of their birth as Diti's sons, was seized with fear. They did not know the secrets of these potents and thought that the dissolution of the universe was at hand. (Vedabase)

Text 16

The two godforsaken souls born from the original source grew quickly, manifesting uncommon bodies that were like steel with the size of mountains.

These two demons who appeared in ancient times soon began to exhibit uncommon bodily features; they had steellike frames which began to grow just like two great mountains. (Vedabase)

Text 17

The crests of their helmets touched the sky as they blocked all directions with their brilliant bracelets on their arms and the earth shook at every step of their feet while the beauty of the decorated belts around their waist outshone the sun.

Their bodies became so tall that they seemed to kiss the sky with the crests of their gold crowns. They blocked the view of all directions and while walking shook the earth at every step. Their arms were adorned with brilliant bracelets, and they stood as if covering the sun with their waists, which were bound with excellent and beautiful girdles. (Vedabase)

Text 18:

Kas'yapa gave the two their names: the one of the twin from his flesh and blood that was delivered first he called Hiranyakas'ipu ['the one feeding on gold'] and the one Diti gave birth to who was the first to be known by the people he called Hiranyâksha ['the one with a mind for gold'].

Kas'yapa, Prajâpati, the creator of the living entities, gave his twin sons their names; the one who was born first he named Hiranyâksha, and the one who was first conceived by Diti he named Hiranyakas'ipu. (Vedabase)

Text 19:

From a blessing by Lord Brahmâ did Hiranyakas'ipu manage to seize control over the three worlds and their protectors, being puffed up of fearing death from no one.

The elder child, Hiranyakas'ipu, was unafraid of death from anyone within the three worlds because he received a benediction from Lord Brahmâ. He was proud and puffed up due to this benediction and was able to bring all three planetary systems under his control. (Vedabase)

Text 20:

Hiranyâksha, his beloved younger brother always willing to do him a favor, was, with a club in his hands and ready to fight, traversing the higher spheres seeking violent opposition.

His younger brother, Hiranyâksha, was always ready to satisfy his elder brother by his activities. Hiranyâksha took a club on his shoulder and traveled all over the universe with a fighting spirit just to satisfy Hiranyakas'ipu. (Vedabase)

Text 21:

He had a temper difficult to control, tinkling anklets of gold and the adornment of a very large garland over his shoulders upon which rested his huge mace.

Hiranyâksha's temper was difficult to control. He had anklets of gold tinkling about his feet, he was adorned with a gigantic garland, and he rested his huge mace on one of his shoulders. (Vedabase)

Text 22:

Proud of his physical and mental strength and the boon conferred upon him, he could not be checked, as he feared no one. The godly afraid hid themselves for him as if they were snakes frightened of Garuda.

His mental and bodily strength as well as the boon conferred upon him had made him proud. He feared death at the hands of no one, and there was no checking him. The gods, therefore, were seized with fear at his very sight, and they hid themselves even as snakes hide themselves for fear of Garuda. (Vedabase)

Text 23:

He, the instrument of the ones of Diti [the Daityas], roared loudly when he discovered that Indra and the power-intoxicated multitude of the godly had vanished so that he couldn't find them.

On not finding Indra and the other demigods, who had previously been intoxicated with power, the chief of the Daityas, seeing that they had all vanished before his might, roared loudly. (Vedabase)

Text 24:

Giving up his search, just for the sport producing that terrible sound, did the mighty being dive into the ocean, in wrath like an elephant.

After returning from the heavenly kingdom, the mighty demon, who was like an elephant in wrath, for the sake of sport dived into the deep ocean, which was roaring terribly. (Vedabase)