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, mighty in breath and valor, set his lower jaw upon the earth and raised his upper jaw to the heavens. His mouth yawned deep as the sky, and his tongue writhed like a vast serpent. With deathlike fangs he seemed intent on swallowing the three worlds. Assuming a colossal form, he shook the mountains and crushed the face of the earth beneath his legs, as though the Himalayas themselves were walking. Then he came before Indra and swallowed him along with his carrier Airāvata, as a great python swallows 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.