Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 28
Vṛtrāsura Instructs Indra on Providence and Devotion; The Slaying of Vṛtrāsura
महाप्राणो महावीर्यो महासर्प इव द्विपम् । कृत्वाधरां हनुं भूमौ दैत्यो दिव्युत्तरां हनुम् । नभोगम्भीरवक्त्रेण लेलिहोल्बणजिह्वया ॥ २७ ॥ दंष्ट्राभि: कालकल्पाभिर्ग्रसन्निव जगत्त्रयम् । अतिमात्रमहाकाय आक्षिपंस्तरसा गिरीन् ॥ २८ ॥ गिरिराट् पादचारीव पद्भ्यां निर्जरयन् महीम् । जग्रास स समासाद्य वज्रिणं सहवाहनम् ॥ २९ ॥
mahā-prāṇo mahā-vīryo mahā-sarpa iva dvipam kṛtvādharāṁ hanuṁ bhūmau daityo divy uttarāṁ hanum
Vṛtrāsura was very powerful in physical strength and influence. He placed his lower jaw on the ground and his upper jaw in the sky. His mouth became very deep, like the sky itself, and his tongue resembled a large serpent. With his fearful, deathlike teeth, he seemed to be trying to devour the entire universe. Thus assuming a gigantic body, the great demon Vṛtrāsura shook even the mountains and began crushing the surface of the earth with his legs, as if he were the Himālayas walking about. He came before Indra and swallowed him and Airāvata, his carrier, just as a big python might swallow an elephant.
FAQs
This verse compares Vṛtrāsura’s fangs to Kāla itself, stressing that worldly power and terror ultimately reflect the overwhelming force of Time, under the Supreme’s control.
Śukadeva uses epic imagery to convey Vṛtrāsura’s immense, frightening presence in the battle, heightening the drama of Indra’s confrontation and the scale of the cosmic conflict.
It reminds one not to be overawed by external threats or displays of power; time changes everything, so cultivate steadiness, duty, and devotion rather than fear.